Due Friday, March 27, by 12:00 midnight:
- In your 1st comment, you need both:
- 1 observation about Beatrice & Virgil through page 116
- 1 question about Beatrice & Virgil through page 116
- Show specific knowledge of the book, even mentioning page numbers
- In your 2nd comment, you need both:
- 1 reaction/response to a classmate in your class period
- 1 reaction/response to a classmate in a different period
- Show specific knowledge of the book, even mentioning page numbers
196 comments:
Throughout reading the novel, I have made many observations about the text. On page 32, Henry is reading about a fable that mentions a feast that lasted three days and four nights, and the mother gave birth to one son. I instantly made the connection to Life of Pi when the numbers are arranged in the order 3.14. Further along in the text on page 104, the Taxidermist, which I can only presume is spelled Henrik or Henri (German spelling), shares his play with Henry and mentions how the story will take place on a shirt of the 20th century and a play in two acts. The 20th century is the 1900's which could represent the time of war and the two acts could represent the two world wars faced primarily against Nazi Germany.
I question the taxidermists stuffed animals and the skull. Henri makes numerous connections to the animals being people and how they each tell a story and the worst enemy of a taxidermist is the indifference among the animals (assuming Jewish members of society at this point). So if similar to Life of Pi, are the creations of the taxidermist actually stuffed animals or are they people, along with the skull that seems to fascinate Henry?
While reading Beatrice and Vergil I can’t help see that the character of Henry is a self-insert of Yann Martel. A lot of the thoughts and feelings expressed by Henry towards writing most likely mirror the thoughts of Martel himself. The frustration of people not understanding your writing and the stress of having writer’s block are all feelings I'm sure Martel has felt as an author and through the character of Henry he can express that. How Henry copes with his writer's block is an interesting insight into how Martel or any author might deal with this problem.
I question the taxidermist's stubbornness to finish his play. He claims to have writer’s block and also claims to have been working on the play his entire life. I am not quite sure how working on anything your entire life can amount to so little. What little there is, is good but doesn’t make up for the fact of how long was spent on it. I think there is a more fascinating reason behind the reason the play can’t be finished and why the taxidermist is so grim whenever talking about it
Over the course of this week, I have had the opportunity to study Yann Martel’s unique novel Beatrice and Virgil. I have sincerely enjoyed what I have read so far, and am extremely curious to see how the novel progresses from where it left off.
As soon as I opened the novel, I was taken aback by the striking similarities between the books protagonist, Henry, and Martel himself. Both Henry and Martel are Canadian authors who find both success and struggles through their writing. They use animals to better communicate emotions and themes to their readers and pursue styles that are fairly unique within literature. Even their positions on the truth within fiction are the same. Thus, seeing Henry’s discussions about literature and fame allowed me to see into the views of Martel himself. There are very few books that do this.
Beyond my observations of the book, Beatrice and Virgil has also filled me with many questions. One of my largest questions is on the use of ambiguity throughout the novel. Why did Yann Martell leave out so many details? Instead of naming the city Henry moved to when he sought change, he just gave a vague description of it. Instead of naming the price of the items in the taxidermist shop, he just described how they were expensive. Even the two main characters of the story have the same name, making it impossible to tell who is who from only their first name. I’m curious why this was done throughout the novel. What drove Martel to leave his reader in the dark on such seemingly trivial matters?
Once again, this novel has been one of the most unique books I’ve studied, and, during the next week, I am very curious to figure out what Beatrice and Virgil is truly about.
Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to read Yann Martel’s eye-opening novel entitled “Beatrice and Virgil” through page 116. From the overt symbolism to the enchanting descriptions, I have really enjoyed exploring this literary masterpiece, and there are hundreds of things that could be discussed. However, my biggest observation would be the similarities between the protagonist Henry and Yann Martell. From the moment the characters are introduced, a parallel can be seen. They are both authors who have used animals in their fictional novels. They are both apathetic to fame, are sons of Canadian foreign service officers, and live in foreign cities. Even Henry’s sociable, energetic personality and struggles with writing are a direct reference to Martell’s own life. Overall, nearly all aspects of this character provide some form of an image to what type of person Martell truly is, increasing the realism and impact of this already eye-opening story. Perhaps, this is Martell’s true intent.
My other big observation would be the similarities between Henry the Taxidermist’s play and Henry the author’s second book. Although the full plot of the play hasn’t been revealed yet, both works seem to be using fiction to provide a new representation of the Holocaust—just in their own individual ways. Because of the uniqueness of such a plotline, it makes me consider three huge interconnected questions: are these two stories related in some way? Has Henry the Taxidermist seen his second book? Does the play actually symbolize the Holocaust? With the little information given about the Taxidermist, it is currently difficult to determine his motive for writing the play or contacting Henry in the first place. I am sure there are hundreds of writers in the country they are in, and It is always possible that Henry the author is just imagining this symbolism, due to his previous familiarity of the topic. Either way, these questions will continue to plague my mind as I enter the second half of this enchanting novel, and I am sure an answer will be eventually reached.
While reading Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, I have made many observations. One of these observations is how descriptive Yann Martel's writing is. He includes tons of details about different objects and places which has made the book very enjoyable to read. For example, Virgil describes a pear to Beatrice for almost seven pages of the book. He talks about the shape, the texture, the stem, the color, the taste, and so much more. Henry does the same when describing the taxidermist's shop. Everything from the facial expressions, the mounting, the location of all the various animals are mentioned. I could picture everything in the shop, and it made me feel like I was in it. Another long descriptive part of the book is when the taxidermist explains to Henry what taxidermy is in his writing. He goes very in-depth and does not miss a single detail.
What I questioned most while reading Beatrice and Virgil was the taxidermist. Everything about him is very mysterious. The biggest question I have about him is why we never learn his name. I learned so much about what he does as a taxidermist and his shop, but his name is never mentioned. I also have many questions about his writing. First, how did he even become so interested in writing? About the writing itself, I wonder what the point of the play is. Henry reads different parts of the play, but there is not really any plot or storyline yet.
Over the last few weeks with our time off I have had an abundant amount of time to read and observe Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. As I am reading, I notice that Martel does a very good job of giving describing objects and places in the book. When he does this, it is more exciting as a reader, because I can visually picture an image in my mind of what he is describing. For example, for several pages, a pear is described. He gives details of this object so broad that I am able to know everything about this pear that there is to know, and this makes it much more interesting to read about.
Although Martel does include a lot of description about some objects, on the other hand, he also leaves out a lot of details about some things in the book. Why does he do that? How does he choose what to describe in detail and what to vaguely describe? Why do the two main characters in the novel have the same name, leaving it difficult for the reader to interpret? By observing the book further, it allows me, the reader, to ask more questions, and find more answers as I keep moving forward.
From having extra time to read "Beatrice and Virgil," I have learned to love and want to read this book. Yann Martel, like "Life of Pi," has put an outstanding amount of detail throughout the whole thing. I can picture every event, every emotion, and place by his descriptive skill. For example page 72, "The workshop was smaller than the showroom, but better lit. A barred window cut across the back wall above a double door, letting in natural light. A faint smell of chemicals hung in the air... Neatly arranged tools lay on the tables, among them surgical scalpels; knives and scissors; pliers and pincers; boxes of tacks and nails; a measuring tape; hammers and mallets; saws and hacksaws; a file; chisels; clamps; modeling tools; small paintbrushes." This is just one key example of perfect detail. It easily displays and helps my imagination see the book while I read it. One thing I also love about the book is how little we know about Henry the taxidermist's play. It has so many evolving parts. On pages 104-105 it says, "Virgil, a red howler monkey. Beatrice, a donkey. A boy and his two friends. A country road. A tree. Late afternoon. The province of Lower Back, in a country, called the Shirt..." From not reading the whole book yet, the play is very mysterious.
Going along with some mysteries in the book I have several questions. My main question found on various pages but 115 and 116 display It well. Sarah has an overall "don't care" impression upon me about Henry (the famous author). She seems to be unconcerned with his work and his goals. She was mortified when visiting the taxidermist shop as well as the taxidermist. Or she is always in the other room while Henry writes or practices his clarinet. She doesn't seem to be a great part of his life at all besides her going to have his child very soon. But besides this question, I can't wait to read more and hopefully answer my current questions.
Throughout reading Beatrice and Virgil to page 116, I have gotten more and more interested in the novel and continue to want to read more. I think that one reason for this is because there are no chapters in the book, which makes it that much easier to never put down. I think one of the things that sticks out to me the most is the value that the animals in the story have to the taxidermist, and at times, Henry too. At first, Henry brings this to my attention by literally stating that when he is reading the play, that all of the highlighted parts have something to do with an animal being killed. This is sort of foreshadowing too when we come to realize later on that the writer of this play is a taxidermist. If you read closely too, you will realize that the taxidermist has a story for almost all of the animals that Henry points out or asks about, which is why I believe not only does Henry care about them, but the taxidermist values them and knows all of their backgrounds, even though he could very easily remember them all as "just another stuffed animal."
I have two questions from the first section of reading. My first one is, why do you think that the taxidermist cares so much about the animals that are later just going to be mounted on a wall or in a certain position? I get it is his work and his job, but why does he care so much about their meanings and background? The second question I have also regards the taxidermist. Why do you think he has such a carefree attitude about him in the story. No matter what occurs, whether it is Henry dropping the glass on the ground or if he is giving him some very helpful and useful advice, that taxidermist seems to not care about either of them and is just very straightforward about everything. He is getting the "help" he needed, but seems to not care.
Two main things have emerged from the first 116 pages of Beatrice and Virgil. The first being how similar Henry the author and Yann Martel. You cannot help but see the first line saying, "Henry's second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well. It had won prizes and was translated into dozens of languages." I looked up Yann Martel and sure enough, he had also written two books before Beatrice and Virgil, one being a short story and the other being Life of Pi. The whole story is not directly related to Martel, but in certain parts, it is impossible to miss. The other thing that I found was how descriptive Martel is yet again. Once entering the taxidermy shop for the first time, on page 65 Henry describes each and every animal that he sees.
While reading I also came upon some questions. The first question is why did Henry the taxidermist want a job that would involve killing animals when he would have so much regret later? The animals seem to be the things that he shows genuine interest in. I can see how this relates to the Holocaust as Henry the taxidermist might be a Nazi member that did not want to kill the Jews but ultimately had to for his own sake. The second question is what was so intriguing about the Taxidermist to Henry that made him want to help? Was it the thought of animals, a recurring theme throughout Martel's books? And why don't we get any sort of background from the taxidermist? The taxidermist seems to know everything about Henry the author but we know nothing about him.
First Reply- Kate Livingston
I agree with your question, Kate. I also think the taxidermist is more than odd, not only when we first meet him, but all the way through page 116. He is very straightforward, never shows any emotion no matter if something bad happens, like breaking the glass on the floor, or something good happens, like Henry offering very helpful advice. The only thing I disagree about is the taxidermist's name. I believe it was mentioned that his name was also Henry, but I don't think there was the last name given on the envelope he sent to Henry, the main character. I think the reason Martel refers to the taxidermist as the "taxidermist" is to save confusion between the two Henry's, but that just brings up another question. Why couldn't he have given the taxidermist a different name? Overall, good post!
Second Reply- Thomas Scholten
Thomas, I think your observations are very NICE (it's an inside joke). Seriously though, I can see where you are coming from when you say Martel is very descriptive. Adding on to what you said, not only does Henry describe all of the animals that he sees upon entering the Taxidermist's shop, but whenever Henry actually asks the taxidermist where any animal came from or what the background of it is, the taxidermist ALWAYS had an answer. He is very descriptive about the little things like these, and to me, the most descriptive part of the book so far is when Virgil describes the pear. You would think it is silly if you hadn't read the book, but now that we have, I think most of us appreciate it a lot more. Good post!
First Reply
Yann Martel is once again being deliberate with every single word that he writes. We learn of Henry and his creating of the flipbook which is half a fictional story about the holocaust. His publishers shut down the book and he gets writers block. He denounces writing for the most part and he moves away with his wife. He still continues to receive fan mail. He received one envelope that contained a play. He ends up meeting with the man. From the first instant that Henry describes the taxidermist, I knew that he was Jewish and had lived through the Holocaust by Henry's description of having a long nose. Henry doesn't listen to his own advice that he says and only looks at the surface and stereotype of the taxidermist. We learn from the other paper he sent to Henry and when the taxidermist is reading to Henry his prose of taxidermy we learn much about his own personal history. First, we learn about genocide and having a fascination with it from the story that he sent to Henry and that he had lived through one. He also ignores the theme of the story that they deserve forgiveness. We gain key information in the play besides the donkey and money that there are two other characters. I believe that the taxidermist went through the Holocaust with two friends as a teenager. I believe he went into taxidermy as a way to preserve the past and that that is why he is writing the play. He wants to be able to tell his story but as many people who go through traumatic events, they are unable to tell their story. The only way that he can tell his story is by dissociating it from what actually happened through fiction. On page 97 he references art taxidermy which I took to correlate to Dr. Mengele and his experiments on the Jews. I believe that he or his friends were experimented on. On page 102 Beatrices says, "we could move on" to which Virgil replies, "We've done that before and it didn't get us anywhere." The taxidermist is wants to run away from his past but his memories stand stong in his head and he is having to find some way to get them out and his only way of doing that is through the play. On page 112 Virgil asks Beatrice how we are going to get through the events. Once again him trying to live outside of his past. Finally, on page 114 Henry asks if he wants to meet at a zoo. The taxidermist denies it emphatically. I believe he sees animals as his Jewish people and never wants to see them in captivity. He likes to see them out in nature, and in his profession, he is trying to preserve the animal, and in the real world is trying to preserve the memories of his past.
Going on in the book I am interested in seeing how Martel will continue to reveal the taxidermist's story. Whether it will be through his play and writing or whether he will open up to Henry and reveal what he went through. I am also curious about how the taxidermist will also help Henry and rid him of his writing block and affect him and how he presents his own fictional Holocaust book. Whether he will the story of the taxidermist and use the tale of Julian in his flipbook.
Reply two
Brooke G.- Once we understand what Henry the taxidermist has gone through in his past life the play becomes much more than just a Donkey and a Monkey. Based on their names, they come from Dante's Inferno which is a journey through hell. We learn that the taxidermist is an old Jewish man who lived through the Holocaust. The donkey and monkey are his friends and we are revealed to the tragic events that he went through. The play is much more than just telling people about the Holocaust but it is the taxidermist's way of, like his profession, preserving the past. But also his way of coping with it. The only way he is able to relieve his trauma is through writing it in a fictional way.
Hunter M.- Henry the taxidermist sees animals as the Jewish people. He sees Julian as the Nazis in the war and him killing the Jews. Therefore, the reason he doesn't bother with the rest of the story is that he believes the Nazis never deserved the forgiveness they got. Another scene that involves this theory is when Henry offers to meet him at a zoo. The taxidermist refuses because he doesn't want to see the animals locked up in cages because he views it as the Jewish people being put into concentration camps
Elisabeth Kluin - i think that the observation of the feast compared to Life of Pi was a brilliant find! After bringing this point to mind, I am very excited to look for such small details in my reading as well. Another thing that I found interesting was the relation of Henry to the author. It is completely obvious and makes you think. Also, the animals involved in the story, i think it is interesting how Life of Pi was about animals and also how animals are involved in this novel as well.
Kate Livingston - You brought up some really wonderful points. The detail in the story is something that I noticed as well! After beginning this Lit class, I didn't read often. I think this book helps immensely for readers who may struggle with reading. I think that having such an abundance of detail in the story really paints a delightful picture of the novel. Great point!
Quinn - I find your question interesting how the taxidermist has spent his entire life working on this novel yet he is currently struggling to find the correct words to finish his play. It does make you question his integrity with his play and what is the purpose behind it, especially a play that involves animals yet it is not suggested towards a young audience. I also see many references to Yann Martel through Henry, with both their work and their love for animals.
Kate - I too noted how the taxidermist loves to speak about his work, not leaving out a single detail pertaining to how to make such "art" as this. I also question where his interest in writing came about. Being in his 80's I can only guess there is no other business to do other than to read, write and work.
The first observation that I have made is the detail that Yann Martel goes into to describe objects and scenes in this book. Many people have mentioned how the pear description stood out, I agree that this was very interesting how Martel could describe a pear for 7 pages, from 44 to 51. I was more impressed when Martel described the taxidermist shop through the eyes of Henry the author. For example, he starts with the tigers(I wonder if this is coincidental also, or if Yann has an attachment to tigers somehow) Martel describes on page 61, "a male was crouching, staring dead ahead, ears swiveled around, every hair bristling. A female stood a little behind him, a paw raised in the air, a snarl upon her face, her tail anxiously curled in the air. Lastly, a cub had his head turned to one side, distracted momentarily, but he too was apprehensive, his claws drawn. The nervous tension emanating from the trio was palpable, electric." I can picture this entire scene in my head and then Martel continues on describing the entire shop in vivid detail.
My biggest questions are if Henry the author is helping Henry the taxidermist or if we will continue to read and find that in a way, Henry the taxidermist will end up helping Henry the author in some way. I also am wondering if Henry the taxidermist is somehow a future self of Henry the author; after reading Life of Pi, and being left to wonder about many things, I would not put this past Martel. My final question is if donkey and monkey have some sort of significance. The two words are spelled the exact same except the first letter; do the D and M have significance or is there another significance between the words?
Quinn:
I completely agree that Henry and Yann Martel are significant parallels of each other. There are simply too many uncanny coincidences between the two people for it to be only by chance. Thus, I would be shocked if the majority of Henry's opinions and thoughts, such as his discussion of fame on page five and his discussion of trueness in fiction on page sixteen, didn't closely match those of Yann Martel himself.
Regarding your question, I do find it strange that the taxidermist needs to bring in outside help in order to continue working on his play. The script has been life's project, and the work he has already put into it seems to have been going fairly well. He won't even let Henry read through the script himself, instead keeping the majority of the project his work alone. Thus, it seems very strange that he would go through the work to summon Henry just for a few descriptive words. There must be another reason for this strange meeting.
Thomas:
I do agree that Martel is incredibly descriptive in his writing. Entire pages of his novel are dedicated to using figurative language in order to give readers a perfect picture of what is happening in the story. This is especially clear during his description of the taxidermist and his shop on pages 64 through 67 and his description of the park on page 18. It is extremely refreshing to read a book from an author with such attention to detail as Yann Martel.
Elaborating on the position of the taxidermist, I do not believe that he chose this job because it involved killing animals. In fact, I doubt that any of his work in taxidermy involved killing an animal himself. Instead, he sees taxidermy as a way to preserve history, saying on page 66 that "the animals are alive—it's time that has stopped" (66). Despite this, it is interesting that the taxidermist chose to send Henry excerpts from "St. Julian the hospitaller" despite his clear love of animals. Perhaps this information will reveal itself as the novel continues.
Response to Thomas Scholten:
I 100% agree that there is a similarity between Henry the author and Yann Martel. Nearly all parts of Henry’s characterization—his view of fame, previous writing history, family background, and personality—are all parallels to Martel’s own life. Perhaps Martel thought it would be easier to create a convincing, real character if he based it off someone he knows very well: himself. Either way, nearly all aspects of this character provide some form of an image to what type of person Martell truly is.
As for your questions, I believe Henry is a taxidermist because he doesn’t like the needless killing of animals; perhaps it reminds him of the mass killing of the Holocaust. However, that is a process that is impossible to stop, forcing Henry to become a taxidermist instead. Through this occupation, Henry can preserve dead animals, ensuring that despite their untimely death their life can still go on, just like those of the Holocaust through stories.
Response to Elisabeth Kluin:
I also agree that Henry the taxidermist’s play is a reference to the Holocaust. Up to this point in the story, nearly all aspects of his work—the time period, the striped shirts, the sense of hunger, and the oppression of one of the animals—points to the suffering prevalent during World War II. Personally, I believe Virgil represents the Jewish people, do to his unpopularity and love for religion. I also believe that Beatrice represents one of their supporters, those who were against the Nazi regime. This is shown by his support for Virgil and willingness to help. Over the course of the story, I am sure that the factuality of these symbols will eventually be revealed.
As for your question, I don’t believe the animals represent a single person but instead an entire group. As explained above, Virgil most likely represents the Jewish population and Beatrice most likely symbolizes their supporters. This is due to how they have been portrayed in Henry’s play. Perhaps this play will become a call to action, devaluing the horrible treatment of the Jewish during World War II and creating a message to always stand against dictatorial governments. However, the true meaning behind Henry’s play and his characters have yet to been revealed.
1st comment
One thing I noticed in Beatrice & Virgil is how similar Yann Martel and Henry are. I have a feeling that's where Yann got his inspiration for the character Henry...from himself. They both understand the struggle of people being confused about their writing or not being able to understand it or people getting offended by certain parts of the book. Every author goes through the writer's block which might be what Yann was going through writing this book which eventually worked as an inspiration for this book. Yann also likes to include animals in his story to be able to explain the story better.
My question is still why the taxidermist needed Henry's help in writing the play when he said he's been working on it his whole life and has the inspiration on what to write it about but still only has one scene done. That seems to be a bit of an extreme writer's block
2nd comment
Elisabeth- I never made that observation of Page 32 but when I read your comment my mind was blown. I think it is really spectacular that you could make the observation and how Martel wrote it in for readers to find the connection between Life of Pi in a whole other book.
Kate- I agree with the taxidermist being a very odd character throughout the book. I kept reading so I know what happens next and you'll be surprised by the taxidermist as you read on. But yes, he is very strange not showing any emotion or any expression at all up until page 116.
1st Comment
One thing that I observed was how the main characters of the book are two people named Henry, but the title of the book is Beatrice and Virgil, this is completely different from Life of Pi by Yann Martel in that he is titling this book after a character that is not introduced till page 44, where they talk about pears for a few pages.
One question that I had about this book is if the main character Henry the author and Henry the taxidermist are perhaps the same person just on different paths, like Henry said earlier in the book when he was at Hyde Park he compared himself to Jackle and Hyde a character who has two completely different personalities like him and the taxidermist, I also wonder this because when he is out walking his dog Erasmus he walks to a part of town that he had never been to before, and just happens to find the place that the person who sent him this letter was from.
2nd Comment
Cecilia - I agree completely with the fact that Yann perhaps based the character of Henry the author after himself, with the supporting facts that Yann himself as we know in Life of Pi loves to use animals to represent different things and will use them in his writings.
Quinn - I was also confused about how a man that has been around for 85+ years can write so little about his play when he must have so much time on his hands when he is in a dying business like taxidermy.
1st Comment
There are many observations to make within the Beatrice and Virgil novel. Specifically towards Henry himself. We are able to see Yann Martel within his own character, Henry. We see the frustration of not being able to get a successful book out into the world and a man's journey of not only learning writing again but having to take a look at his own life to overcome writer's block.
I am very confused with the taxidermist and Henry himself. The taxidermist claims to have this play that he worked on his entire life (that amounts to almost nothing) yet he carries on with this strange side hobby. It is also strange that the taxidermist goes out of his way to get Henry, of all people, to help with his grand story. Not only is it weird that he is a taxidermist, but considering that Henry is a self-insert of Yann Martel makes it even stranger to work with a man that kills animals compared to nurture them (as in Life of Pi). On pages 115 and 116 I am unable to fathom how Sarah is worried about the taxidermist yet altogether not very interested in Henry and his work, even though he will be working with the taxidermist.
2nd Comment
Quinn - I can completely relate to the confusion over the taxidermist. You work for so many years to get so little done, yet you are stubborn to get it done and not at the same time? Obviously, there is some historical event behind the taxidermist's story or even a hard-hitting past that he is unwilling to part from but also wants to share with others at the same time. It really makes you wonder if he actually has writer's block or if he simply is unable to overcome something personal within his life.
Blake - I never really thought of Henry the writer and Henry the taxidermist being the same. I mean, page 44 we are finally introduced to someone who is basically a self-insert of his writer's self. Then, we meet another character who is like the character Pi, but only showing real emotion on page 116. We may also note that Sarah is not exactly all there for Henry the writer but is able to show some emotion towards the darker side, Henry the taxidermist.
First Comment:
My first observation is how Yann Martel likes to include animals in his novels as more than just animals. The animals represent people themselves and can give almost MORE insight into a person rather than if they were just themselves. This also adds a bit of mystery to a novel, as the reader has to think harder and make connections to understand what the book is actually about. It seems that Beatrice and Virgil are truly existing during the Holocaust. Virgil may be a Jew, which you can infer after reading the posters on pages 76 and 77. A lot of propaganda was used against the Jews by Nazis-- making them seem like monsters that they truly aren’t.
My question considers the taxidermist. Why does the taxidermist act so coldly to Henry, as if Henry owes him something? This really confuses me because on page 52 he explicitly says he NEEDS Henry’s help. Wouldn’t you show kindness to someone who is helping you? Wouldn’t you at least say please and thank you (which the taxidermist fails to do)?
First Comment
Through page 116, the reader can observe many pieces that allude to other places or people. One big thing I picked up on right away was that Henry is a lot like Yann Martel. Henry experiences writer's block which is most likely a feeling that Yann Martel has experience with since he is also an author. Martel inserts himself a little into the story a little through Henry which adds to the correlation between the two. Right away, it can be seen on the first line "Henry's second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well". I also noticed his use of strong descriptions and imagery in the book much like he used in his other novel Life of Pi. He painted a picture of a pair for nearly seven pages and when Henry is in the taxidermist's shop. In the shop, he describes a lot of the scenery and it helps paint a picture in the reader's head.
A couple questions arose while I was reading Beatrice & Virgil such as why he would include the descriptions of the pear? Another thing I question is: why are the author and taxidermist named the same? I wonder if there is some significance to that? Another question that relates to both Beatrice & Virgil and Life of Pi is why does Martel use animals so much? What is the importance of using animals over people in some instances?
Second Comment
Same Period: Elisabeth- The connection you made between the three days, four nights and one son is fascinating. I did not make that connection while reading but now that you point it out it makes a lot of sense to me. I really agree with your connection of the two world wars in the twentieth century to the two acts.
Different Period: Cecilia- I also made the connection between Martel and Henry, it does seem that Martel is portraying himself through Henry. We can definitely see the histories of the two line up similarly and the fact that they are both authors is also a good thing to note. I think your question about his writer's block is an issue is valid; although, you have to wonder whether there is some other internal conflict for the taxidermist or something along those lines.
First Comment:
Over the past week and a half not being in school, I have had a lot of time to read and study the book, Beatrice and Virgil. I have many many observations about the book but the main one that sticks out to me is the fact that Yann Martel is putting himself into the story through the character named Henry. Like I said in the flipgrid, the first line of the whole book is "Henry's second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well". While reading that I realized Yann is actually Henry. I think it's cool how he is teaching his readers about himself but through a different character and not just putting a little autobiography about himself in the back of the book. Another thing that sticks out to me is the amount of description he uses in describing the taxidermist shop. I like how when I'm reading it I can picture it in my head and then it helps me understand the book a lot better if I put an image in my head. On page 62, he gives great detail about every animal that is in the shop, and I could then picture what the shop looked like. If this book didn't have this much detail it would not be as interesting to me.
One question that I have is why do Henry and Henry the taxidermist have the same name. In Life of Pi, everything had a meaning, the number of chapters, the things that happened in each chapter, just takes some time to figure out the meaning behind Yann Martel's writing. I think maybe Henry and Henry may be the same person or somehow relate to each other like one sees the other as themselves or somehow makes sense why they have the same name, or maybe it is just a coincidence but I don't think so. Another question I have is why are there no chapters? In Life of Pi, there were 100 chapters, but in this book there are none. I kind of like it just because it keeps the pages turning. The last question I have is why does Yann Martel use animals in his books? In Life of Pi, he imagined his family members as animals and didn't get to know the animals were his family until the end of the book, and in Beatrice and Virgil, the taxidermist shop is full of them.
Beatrice & Virgil is an intriguing book, to say the least. With a plot that can be so vague at times, it gives endless opportunities to infer and think. One thing I observed throughout this section of the novel was the many Holocaust references. From the start of the novel, you read about Henry's Holocaust flipbook idea. It is ripped to shreds by his colleagues at a lunch. His confidence is knocked down, and he wonders on page 11, "art as a suitcase, light, portable, essential–was such a treatment not possible with the greatest tragedy of Europe's Jews?" In saying this, Henry now believes that this event cannot be represented in a nonliteral and compact way like other events in history. This thought comes up later in the reading when Henry starts reading the taxidermist's play about a donkey and a howler monkey. This play reminds of the Holocaust. Maybe the taxidermist has done it... taken the Holocaust, found its heart, and packed it into a nonliteral suitcase.
I have many questions about this novel so far. Why did Yann Martel name the two main characters, the author and the taxidermist, both Henry? Why doesn't Henry the taxidermist show any emotion towards Erasmus, Henry the author's live dog? Why is the dog's name Erasmus (quite an uncommon name)? My list could go on, but those are some of my questions.
1st comment
After reading through page 116 in Beatrice and Virgil, I have noticed interesting events and things that get me thinking. One of the things I have found interesting is the names of Beatrice and Virgil. We all know Yann Martel carefully picks his names, take Pi Patel, for example. His name has a great significance in his character, which I will not get into. Beatrice and Virgil are the names of the characters in the Divine Comedy by Dante. I have done a little bit of research on this Italian literature and found the story fascinating. This long narrative works with many spiritual elements and shows the journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. The author makes himself the main character of the story, much like Martel has embodied himself into Henry. It is clear that Martel is alluding to this work. I am guessing that hell and purgatory will represent the holocaust later on in the book. I am intrigued to see how Martel will link his book with the Divine Comedy in other ways.
I've been able to comprehend most of this book so far, but a few things puzzle me. After Henry's meeting with the book editors, he goes home and talks about a move to some nice city. Their destination is never given. Martel teases the reader saying, "Perhaps it was New York. Perhaps it was Paris. Perhaps it was Berlin"(21). I wondered why he wouldn't tell us the city name. It is difficult to understand why so early in the book, but it could have something to do with where the holocaust occurred. When we think of the holocaust, we immediately think of Germany. I remember answering the anticipation guide and a question about if you think you and your family could become nazis in the same situation. Maybe Martel is trying to show us that it doesn't matter where you are, bad things can happen anywhere.
Part 1)
Through reading Yann Martel’s Beatrice and Virgil, many observations were made. The first observation I made while reading is recognizing the similarities between Henry and the author, Yann Martel. Besides the fact that they are both authors, I found that they are similar in other ways such as their book history and the fact that they are both best-selling authors. They are mirror images of each other and I am confident that Martel included Henry as a representation of himself and his ideas. I find it interesting that Martel includes a character that represents himself as I have never heard of any other author using this technique.
For every observation, there were more questions. Much about the taxidermist confuses me. He is a very mysterious man that has a unique behavior and personality. Why is the taxidermist writing this play? After claiming that he has worked on the play for his whole life, how has the taxidermist not finished yet? I am also not understanding the lack of plot at times. I feel like I am missing some valuable information that would help make sense of all of this; however, I am hopeful that through finishing the novel, I will better understand the meaning of everything in the book.
First Comment:
Over the past week, I have been able to read and analyze the novel, Beatrice and Virgil, by Yann Martel. Throughout the book, I have made many keen observations. The one that I have noticed the most, as I stated in my flipgrid, was how I was able to discern that Yann Martel was the author who calls himself Henry. One section where I thought Yann Martel made it obvious he was the author was on page 70 when Henry asks, " How much are the tigers, out of curiosity...and the cheetah?" Even though it was not a hyena, I feel that Martel felt a similar connection with those two animals due to his previous novel, Life of Pi. Another observation I came across was how much imagery Yann Martel uses throughout the novel. While walking into the taxidermy shop for the first time, the reader is able to visualize what it looks like to due to the amount of description Martel goes into.
A question I have is what is the taxidermists' story. From the first time we were introduced to him, he seemed odd in a couple of different ways. He supposedly "needs" the help of Henry with the play he has written but he seems very ungrateful at times and does not show any signs of generosity towards him. He is a very cold man and I'm wondering what his background is. Does he have a family? What got him into taxidermy? What is the story behind his play and the meaning of it?
1st comment
Something that stood out to me during my reading was all the allusions to the holocaust. Undoubtedly, the taxidermist's play is about the holocaust; a striped shirt, two "misfit" animals who have gone through something horrible and are confused about where to go (not to mention they dislike silence, I think this could possibly represent the silence they have to live in for months or years if they attempted to hide in an attic from nazis like Anne Frank), and the fact that the taxidermist says the countries represented by a shirt, pants shoes, etc. could be Germany, Poland, and Hungary (p 106) are all reasons to believe that the taxidermist's play is about the holocaust. Of course, the monkey and donkey (Virgil and Beatrice, respectively) represent two people who are very opposite in their behavior and would not be companions, had they not been through something horrible—the holocaust—together. Another way they symbolize holocaust characters is that they are confused as to how they will tell their story, which, after reading numerous holocaust stories in years past in school, seems to be a common theme with survivors; they are scared or nervous to tell their story. This is a key factor into a theory I have developed: I think the taxidermist is a holocaust victim himself and this play is his way of telling his story; however, I think it is also possible that the taxidermist was a nazi and he is trying to get closure for the side he worked for, or he feels bad for all he witnessed the jews go through, so he is writing a play to tell what he saw. If the taxidermist was in fact a nazi, then it would make sense as to why he is in such an almost "morbid" profession like taxidermy; he has seen and dealt with many dead people before, so dealing with skins and corpses of animals would not be a challenge. On page 96, the taxidermist wrote, "I wanted to see if something could be saved once the irreparable had been done. That is why I became a taxidermist: to bear witness." This could mean that instead of being the one causing damage, he could be the one to preserve what had happened, and tell the animal's story in its own unique way. The taxidermist says he is not a hunter and he would never hurt an animal, as they are his friends; however, he doesn't mention anything about never harming another human.
A question I have, is: Why, if the taxidermist is a victim of the holocaust or was a former nazi, did he wait so long to tell his story or share what he knows? Maybe it is because he is in his older age (in his 80s, as described by "Henry") and he realizes that the story needs to be told and shared throughout the world so as to prevent another holocaust. It could also be that he didn't know how to write a play; he told Henry that his first draft was started many years ago, but it is possible that all he needed was a llittle help, and with an auther such as Henry living in the same city as he, the help was finally available.
Second Comment...
Henry: I agree Martel is extremely vague throughout his novel. Similarly, this reminds of the taxidermist's personality within the novel itself. The taxidermist is perplexing and terse to Henry the author. I think vagueness of everything creates interest because we want to discover the true meaning of everything. That is why Henry the author keeps returning to the taxidermist's shop, and why I keep flipping the pages of this novel.
Brooke: I also love Yann Martel's use of imagery. His descriptions create a movie in my head and make the novel more enjoyable. One spot in particular that uses the best details is the pear scene. On page 45, Virgil describes nearly every feature of a pear to a T when saying, "a pear becomes tapered in a symmetrical way, its upper half sitting straight and centered atop its lower half. Can you see what I mean?" The answer is yes. Yes, I can picture it perfectly.
I like reading different styles coming from the same author. Henry narrates pretty casually, so Yann Martell uses the taxidermist to get across many of his deeper, more philosophical ideas. Like page 103 when he describes faith like being in the sun. This message made me reexamine parts of my life, and it was all delivered through banter between a monkey and a donkey, composed by a taxidermist. And I think the taxidermist's writing, especially in that passage, has a way of molding itself around the unique experiences and ideas of the reader each time its read. Like some people will think of faith as religious; I think, for the taxidermist, it's about his faith in humanity as he goes out of business; for me personally, I applied this as faith in myself—I will always see a reminder of the darkest parts of myself, yet it's up to me to stay in the sun. Martel uses this method again on pages 44-51, as most people have already experienced a pear and will apply the description to what they already know/have experienced.
Henry states, "I speak both quickly and haltingly, in stumbles and incomplete sentences that trail off." I assume Yann Martel feels this way about his own speaking. So I was wondering—is this why he writes? How does his lack of confidence in speaking smoothly tie into his writing? Did it cause him to pursue writing, or could he have seen it as detrimental? Maybe they are unrelated, but why did he include this in his book?
2nd comment
Same period- I agree with Abby's question about why the taxidermist is so bitter towards Henry. Henry is hesitant towards helping him at first and then makes the decision to go for it. If he needs his help so badly, then why won't he show him kindness. We read that the taxidermist has been working on this for a long time and is experiencing the same writers' block as Henry, but when Henry is working on it with him, the taxidermist seems to have a pretty clear idea of what he wants. Something is up with this guy.
Different period- I agree with Tanna's question on why Henry and the taxidermist have the same name. I think that it is definitely significant towards understanding these two characters and how they relate to the story. Is Martel saying that they have different personalities but also share something?
Second Comment:
Megan ~ The observation you made was very interesting and I can definitely agree with you. I do think there have been a lot of subtle but noticeable references towards the holocaust and Martel uses a lot of analogies that keep the readers on their toes. The taxidermist is still very ominous to me due to his unknown background but, his play resembles what Henry's critics were looking for. A holocaust book that, "comes out that bangs on the heart chords." I have also wondered why Martel chose the same name for both him and the taxidermist. He is always using items as symbols for another thing, and I am curious as to what this would be for.
Abby E. ~ I, too, was wondering why the taxidermist acts so coldly towards Henry. Henry is there as a guest and somewhat a celebrity and the way the taxidermist reacts to him was very odd. I also had not thought about Virgil possibly being a Jew. It makes a lot of sense in the context of the story and I could how Martel would use the animals as more than just animals themselves. He likes to include a lot of symbols throughout the novel that has the reader thinking and using their imagination to truly discover the meanings of them.
First Comment...
After reading Beatrice and Virgil up until page 116, I have noticed quite a few observations. One that really stuck out to me was how he was trying to be different and creative with the flipbook idea. Meeting with his colleagues quickly destroyed his creative aspect. On page 14, Henry was asked where the book would be displayed. He replied quickly saying "ideally in both fiction and nonfiction." His colleague replied almost instantly saying "Not going to happen. Too confusing. Do you know how much a stock bookstore handles?" This quickly lowered Henry's confidence about the entire book and the rest of the meeting went spiraling downhill.
Some questions I have about the book would be why Martel felt the need to have the two main characters have the same name. Was it for a reason? Could he just not think of another name? Does he just really like the name Henry? Personally, I think it is very confusing and I get lost very easily. Another question I have is about the Taxidermist. Why does he show no emotion? Is it for a reason? Or is it just his personality?
Part 2)
Hunter Marso- I agree with all of your observations. I also find that a chapterless book is at times difficult to stop when it seems like there are no good stopping points. Your point on the taxidermist’s value of the animals is something I had not put much thought into; however, after reading your response, your observation is clear. The taxidermist’s unique value for all of his animals is an intriguing observation that has made me think more about who the taxidermist is and why he’s in the book. This observation directly leads to your questions that I do not have an answer for, but also wonder myself. The taxidermist’s extreme carefree personality and the fact that he cares so much about the animals he will inevitably mount topics that your observations have made me ponder. Hopefully finishing the novel will provide answers to these questions.
Thomas Scholten- I entirely agree with all of your observations. I also immediately recognized the resemblance of Yann Martel and his character, Henry. I found the same similarities that you pointed out such as their book history. Martel’s imagery and descriptions are something I could not help but notice as well. Martel is very descriptive in every scene. Your comparison to the holocaust and that taxidermist is something I had not thought of prior to reading your response. I agree and think that this comparison is very valid. I also wonder why Henry wanted to help the taxidermist and agree that it is interesting how much the taxidermist knows about Henry compared to how little we know about the taxidermist.
Second Comment...
Peyton Dejong- I completely agree that Martel used Henry to insert himself into the novel. I think that they are very similar. They both are authors who have succeeded and failed books. They both are just ordinary people who happened to write popular books. I think that is very unique he emerges himself into his books because most authors don't do that.
Elijah Klein- I also wonder about the questions you have. I think that it is sort of odd he went into such a description of the pear but also I find it interesting. Maybe he has a reason behind this in detail imagery. I usually think the imagery is boring and just drags the novel along. Martel's imagery is different and interesting. I enjoyed reading about his perspectives on different things, including the pear, and what his reasoning behind it is.
2nd comment
I think that Mike Chevalier has a good point in why he thinks Yann Martel doesn't tell us what city Henry lives in. I believe that it could be anywhere in the world. It could be in Europe, America, or a plethora of other places. I think it is probably somewhere in Europe, in an English-speaking country. I believe this because if you are going to find a nazi or holocaust survivor (explained in my first comment), the chances of finding one in Europe are more likely, since that is where it took place; however, it is also possible that it took place somewhere far away, because if I had survived the holocaust, I would want to get as far away from Europe as possible.
Cecilia's question I think is a valid one, and I will attempt to answer it: I think the reason Henry has struggled to get more than one scene done is that he doesn't know how to make the animals take on a human form/personality. It could also be because it seems that the taxidermist works alone and he needs someone's input on the story to see if they can understand it. Another possible reason could be that he seems to know that Henry tried to get a story published about the holocaust, so Henry would know what NOT to do. A final explanation could be that the taxidermist doesn't know how to get his story out there, and since Henry has had one successful book, he could help him publish the story and make it known with a name like his.
Henry H.
Let's start with "What drove Martel to leave his reader in the dark on such seemingly trivial matters?" The answer is simply this: so that the reader doesn't get caught up in or distracted by those trivial matters. He didn't name the city for the reason the country in the play is fictitious and even why animals are used instead of people—so that the reader doesn't hinder the story with preconceived notions. I think as for the prices of the items in the taxidermist shop, personally, it was easier to imagine a motorcycle or expensive car than just an actual number. And if given a number, the reader might compare that to their own life, like "Oh that's two years of savings for me," when I think the main point is that it is not something that Henry or an average income, common human could afford. The two main characters have the same name for the same reason as Mr. Kumar and Mr. Kumar in Life of Pi"—they are complementary foils. I believe Martel, in both of these cases, is trying to show that opposites aren't each other's evil and can even add to one another. So to answer your question, Martel left his reader in the dark on these matters because no one will stare into the dark for too long, and Martel doesn't want us looking where there is nothing to see.
Ethan W.
I think Henry is helping the taxidermist with his writing and that Henry the taxidermist will help Henry the narrator in an even more significant way. I never thought about the taxidermist being a future version of Henry, so now you've got me really reading into things haha. Because if his play is about the Holocaust and he's been working on it his whole life, he could mean he has spent his life trying to compose the perfect Holocaust-related piece of literature—which is exactly what Henry the narrator had been just doing. Also, by getting "Young Henry's" insight, he could compare it to his own now, as his older self, and somehow be writing about how perspectives change over time. I'm sure Young Henry thinks he would never end up like this, like Old Henry, but then maybe he will! And Yann Martel wants us as readers to apply this to something from our Anticipation Guide. It asked if we think if we were put in the same position, if we would become Nazis too, and maybe Martel is showing us that we would. I'm getting ahead of myself. You asked a really good question. As for the monkey and donkey, I have no idea. :)
First Comment:
Throughout my bleak, boring days of quarantine, I have had plenty of time to read Beatrice and Virgil. In fact, I finished it in three days. I am so sorry. Anyways I have marked a few different passages that have interested me—the main one has been the middle passage on page 96. The text examines the taxidermist's belief of death and how necessary it is to recognize as humans. The reason I found it so interesting is instead of comparing life and death, they analogize them to make life and death seemingly equal in value. It's hard for living creatures, especially humans, to value death equally when we are so biased just by simply being alive and thriving. My question, however, is Henry the author tries to come out with his own book on the Holocaust in a particularly interesting form: a flipbook— encompassing fiction and non-fiction in the same book but with different texts. Is that something Yann Martel tried to emulate in this book? There is the main general story that the plot follows but every now and then it is interspersed information on taxidermy, allusions, and scripts.
Second Comment:
Lizzi B.
I really like your take on the use of faith throughout the book. So many times when we see the word "faith" in texts like such we easily view it with a religious aspect—especially after reading Life of Pi which literally contains THREE RELIGIONS in the text. Martel has such an interesting way of writing and a very flexible style that can be interpreted in many ways, just as literature should be.
Cecilia P.
Your comment on writer's block is very intriguing to me. I remember that video that Mr. C showed us in class of that boy choir thingy? He said that it was one of the best ways to cure writer's block but maybe writing about your writes block could be another good way to cure it. I think that comes with anything creative, though. For instance, if a choreographer is stuck writing a dance maybe they should just dance? Or if a painter doesn't know what to paint, maybe they should just slap some paint on a canvas? I have no clue.
1st comment
After reading Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel, this past week I have observed that Martel likes to express his personal life experiences in all of his novels. For example, when Henry, the main character in Beatrice & Virgil, explains that he likes interacting with his readers. Martel shares a quote from his novel that caught my attention, “When he was recognized, Henry didn’t mind. In his experience, the encounter with a reader was a pleasure. After all, they’d read his book and it had an impact, otherwise why would they come up to him?” (3). From this quote, I realized that, through Henry, Yann Martel was talking directly to his readers. Not only in this novel but many of his other novels as well as Life of Pi.
One question that I have is how does the play that Henry is helping to relate back to the Holocaust? “Shirt” land? Stripe? Also, why does Martel like using animals to relate to humans?
First Comment:
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel has definitely been an interesting read. One thing I noticed right away was the set up of the book. This is very different than Martel's other well-known book Life of Pi. In Life of Pi, there are many chapters, long and short, while in Beatrice and Virgil there is none. This shows how Martel has such a variety when writing novels. Another thing I have enjoyed in the book is the description Martel uses when describing objects, people, and animals. One example is when Beatrice and Virgil talked for many pages just describing a pear. I never thought of fruit as something that could be described with so much description but Martel is able to. One thing that does confuse me is the Taxidermist. He and Henry have the same name but he only ever refers to him as the taxidermist, this is maybe to relieve some confusion when talking about characters but maybe it could be for another reason. Also, the taxidermist wants Henry's help but is very standoffish towards him. Why is this?
2nd Comment
Thomas Scholten (same class period)- I agree that Yann Martel emerges into his novels, especially this one. After reading a second book by him it’s easier to point out the similarities between the characters and Martel. I think all of his books interact with one another. Life of Pi and Beatrice & Virgil both share the interest of animals, Zoology, and religion. I am sure there is more I will find continuing on.
Blake Thompson (different class period)- After reading a few comments by my classmates, this one stuck out to me. This could be the reason why Yann Martel gave the two characters the same name because they are the same person. It could be why the taxidermist is much older than Henry too. A quote I found could explain why “The man had recognized Henry. He had a sharp eye. Henry hadn’t done much media in years and the man’s memory of his appearance couldn’t be a fresh one” (63). The taxidermist could have recognized a younger version of himself.
Tanna: I also do ponder why Yann Martel choose both the taxidermist and novelist to have the same name. On page 86, the novelist Henry is shocked when he told Sarah that the taxidermist name is also Henry. That was the only mention of his name is the same. Both are writing books about the Holocaust, both struggling with writing, and both named Henry; hopefully with reading and observing more into the book we will realize why there are so many similarities between the two. Maybe the taxidermist is potentially Martel's side of struggle with writing or his timidness.
Lizzi: That is a great observation. Similar to the response to Tanna's, I think there is a purpose for the somber and mysterious taxidermist. He is trying to bring to display more philosophical elements to the novel like you stated in your comment. On pages 67-70, the taxidermist explains the methods done to the animals not to make them just stuffed but come alive again. As well as, have a second chance of life by looking through a new set of eyes. The pages the taxidermist explains what the shop is by showing a different element other than just stating the obvious.
Throughout the past week, I was given the opportunity to read the brilliant and awe-inspiring novel titled Beatrice and Virgil. Written by Yann Martel, this imaginative and innovative novel about the holocaust exhibits that nothing is able to speak authenticity like a fiction novel.
When reading, I have observed that Martel has an innate appetite to solidify a connection between human life and animal life, by means of introducing the main character, a writer named Henry (pg. 1), to a taxidermist with the identical name with ambitions of a play about a monkey and donkey (pg. 63). I noticed a resemblance between Henry and author Yann Martel due to the fact that each has accomplished astounding success from a single novel. Similar to Life of Pi, the novel that Henry is writing contains animals and references zoos as well. One interesting fact that I found in Henry’s novel is the unconventional idea of creating a book part fiction and part nonfiction by means of a flip book (found on pg. 7-15)—using its unique design to allow a broader spectrum of reader participation.
One puzzling aspect of the novel at this point is the fact that Martel had chosen to name both of the major characters Henry; this component of the book may create some confusion, so I am interested in his reasoning for naming both character’s Henry. As well as naming, many other details were left out of this novel such as the name of the city Henry resides in, and the prices of items in the taxidermy shop (pg. 71). Curious as to why these details were left out of his writing leaving the story a little vague, I will seek the reasoning as I continue reading. Furthermore, I wonder the reasoning behind the taxidermist playwright’s discussion of the simple fruit of a pear in such explicit detail (pg. 44-51). Expecting this scene to prove important as the novel continues, I will stay curious as to his rationale in this decision.
Overall, I have enjoyed reading this captivating novel and look forward to what entails as I continue reading. The intellectual passion and intriguing novel is engaging which I predict to continue throughout the rest of Beatrice and Virgil.
Second Comment:
Kylie, I agree with you that Henry's flipbook was a very creative idea. It did frustrate me that he let those critics get under his skin and crush his book and his dream of it becoming a reality. I do think there is a meaning to why Henry and the taxidermist have the same name. I feel with the knowledge we have of Martel as the author we will find out his reasoning later on in the book. Could it be a big reveal like in Life of Pi?
Jessica, I think that is a very good point and I never thought of Martel inserting himself into the book with the purpose of giving a message to the reader! I think maybe Martel references animals so much is he wants to show meaning through them. Could it be that we are more like animals than we think? Or animals are more like us? Either way, it is a great question and your post brought up a lot of questions that I know have!
First Comment
After reading through page 116 of Beatrice and Virgil, I have come up with many observations. One observation that I have come to is the similarities between Henry, the main character, and Yann Martel. They both have similarities in their lives and Martel shows this in the book. One of the examples that he shows in this is by showing that they both had books that failed. Another observation that I made is the description that Martel uses to describe the taxidermist shop. He uses great description of the animals and it helps me to see the place. On page 61, he says "a grizzly bear standing high on its rear legs, and a baby hippopotamus with a peacock in full display resting atop it". I am interested to see what happens next in the book.
Most of the book has been very easy for me to understand, but there are still some parts that are confusing to me. One thing that confuses me is why Martel made both authors named Henry. This confuses me sometimes when they are both talking to each other and you don't know which one is talking. Another thing that confuses me is why Martel didn't just say where the author moved to. He doesn't specifically say where he moved, he just says "Perhaps it was New York. Perhaps it was Paris. Perhaps it was Berlin (21). The only thing he says is that "They settled in one of those great cities of the world (21). It will be interesting to see how these questions are solved and what happens next.
First Comment:
The extreme depth and descriptions in the novel are apparent from the first page—not surprising coming from Yann Martel. He gives details that I would think would be necessary. He uses the right amount of detail to keep the reader interested and not bored. Martel describes the lunch with the publishers in the beginning, to the strange mail he received from the taxidermist to his shop—all necessary components to shaping the story.
The mysterious taxidermist, Henry, has me thinking during my reading. He sends Henry, the author, a piece of mail asking him for help along with an attachment of excerpt from a play he is writing. The author is confused as he follows the address in hopes of meeting Henry. When the author offers him help with some descriptive words of a couple taxidermist projects. On page 84, Henry asks to read the rest of the taxidermists play and he will give feedback in return, but he quickly declines and says that he should leave. The taxidermist never seems happy or pleased to see Henry, which is misleading to me. My question is the taxidermist in general and I want to know more about his story.
Second Comment:
Mike Chevalier: Wow, Mike! What a way to connect the names of Beatrice and Virgil to another book that was written by Dante. I did not see any significance to the names of the characters until reading your comment, but now I can definitely see that they have a resemblance and that they have a significance, and they were not just picked randomly. I am surely interested in looking up more about Divine Comedy and see if there are any further comparisons to make to it.
Tanna Lehfeldt- Your comment caught my eye right away because I stated the same thing in my FlipGrid. You can see right away from the first couple of lines that Yann Martel is emerging himself into the novel as Henry, without any hesitation. There is ZERO doubt in my mind that Martel will continue to emerge himself into the novel as we continue to read. I also realized that Martel carried on with his descriptive ways, giving the reader everything that they need to know.
Ethan W. (same class period)
I believe that the reason that Henry is helping the taxidermist is due to the fact that he sees himself within the taxidermist. He sees that writers block that he had encountered, and visualizes himself in the same place as the taxidermist. When meeting the taxidermist, Henry is unaware that the taxidermist's intentions of him there are to provide support and help with his play. Henry states, "This is the help he wants. It's not a matter of encouragement, or confession, or connections, The help he wants is with words" (80). Thinking to himself that he wouldn't have came if he knew the real reason, Henry finds himself contributing to the play taking home an assignment to work on describing the howl of the monkey. Concurrently, your thoughts on Henry seeing a future version of himself in the taxidermist is a very intellectual observation, making me think that this could be true. Living on the same path as he is now, Henry might end up living a lonesome life with no ability to write similar to the taxidermist; therefore, I am going to continue to make connections to Henry and the taxidermist relating to Henry's future self. Great observations and questions overall. They were very insightful and I am curious as to what more will happen throughout this novel, as well as your responses to these happenings.
Elisabeth Kluin (different class period)
I completely agree with your reaction comparing this novel to the Holocaust. Many connections are made by Martel between the parts of this novel and the holocaust—stripes on a t-shirt (105), the craving of food such as pears (44-51), and persecution too. Your comparison to the two acts of the play and the two wars during the 20th century were was very impressive. I too noticed this, and I agree with you when you stated that these two acts represent wars that were fought primarily against the Germans. In response to the question you asked about the similarity between stuffed animals and people, along with the skull, I believe that Virgil will represent the Jewish peoples, whereas Beatrice will support the people who provide support for them. Instead of representing a singular person, these animals might represent more people as a whole. A social group, or in this case a religious group. Overall, great observations and questions, your reactions to the novel thus far are very thought-provoking, and I am interested in what more you will observe further in the novel.
Second Comment
Brooke G., I agree with you that Martel uses great detail and description in his books. It also helps me to see everything that is going on in the book just like you. I also agree with you that it is interesting that we don't know that much about Henry the taxidermist. It will be interesting to see what we learn about him coming up in the book.
Mike C., I agree with you that it is interesting how Martel doesn't just say where Henry and Sarah are going to. I don't know why he just didn't say where they were going. It would've been very easy to just say where they went. I didn't think of the way that Beatrice and Virgil related to the book the Divine Comedy. It makes a lot of sense and I agree that we will find out what it means later in the book.
2nd Comment
Hunter Marso: I agree with you that the taxidermist is very straightforward. When he does say something (which isn't often), he gets right to the point. Also, when Henry was telling the taxidermist about what the howl of the monkey sounded like, he disagreed. He said he did not like parts of it without trying to say it in a nice way. You would think he would be more grateful for Henry's time and help. I also wondered about your first question. It is very odd how much he cares about the backgrounds and the meaning behind each animal. He says that he is friends with all the animals on page 96 and that he is trying to preserve their lives, but why?
Ethan Wright: I also really enjoyed the attention to detail that Yann Martel had while writing. He describes everything to the point where I could picture it all. The pear is a good example of this. I found it very impressive that Yann Martel could think of different ways to describe the pear for seven pages. I found it even more impressive that it was still engaging and interesting to read. He described the taste, texture, shape, size, and so much more. I forgot about the description of the tigers on page 61, but that is also a really good example of imagery and was also interesting to read.
First Comment
While reading and analyzing Yann Martel's novel Beatrice and Virgil I have made a very clear observation that similar to his other book life of pi Yann Martel has yet again emerged himself into the novel but this time through the main character Henry who is a successful author just like Yann Martel himself. I found it interesting when Henry is eating and talking with his publishers about his new holocaust flipbook and relates them to a firing squad saying that “every compliment hides a criticism” (12). In this section of the book, I think that he is trying to show how difficult it is for not only himself but all writers to publish their books.
Question: How is Henry supposed to help Henry write his play if he doesn't have any information about the play?
Second Comment
Ryan: I agree that there are many similarities between the main character Henry and Yann Martel. I think he puts himself into his books to let the readers learn more about him and how difficult it can be as an author. I also agree that it can get kind of confusing at times with both the characters being named Henry, but I think Yann Martel did this for a reason. Hopefully, we will find out why soon.
Mike: That is an epic connection you made of Beatrice and Virgil to Divine Comedy. I don't think many other people made that connection. I also have to agree that I was puzzled when the name of the city Henry moved to was not given but I think you might be on the way to the answer when you said that Yann Martel might be trying to show us that bad things can happen anywhere
First comment:
Over the last week, I have been studying the novel "Beatrice and Virgil" by Yann Martel. I am excited to say that I was very interested in this book. In fact, I even read 100 pages in one day just because of how interested I was in this book. While reading this incredible book, I was able to make many observations about a variety of different aspects of this novel. The first thing is that everything has a deeper meaning and I am excited to see what they are and to look into this story more! The first thing that I observed was the amount of description that Yann Martel adds to his story. A great example in the story that comes to my mind is when he is describing the animals in the taxidermist's shop. Another thing is when he is meeting with the publishers on page 12 it states, "He thought they were a wedding party. In fact, they were a firing squad." Another observation that I made was the fact that both the main character and the taxidermist are both named Henry which seems to be a coincidence but surely has a deeper meaning. I enjoyed reading this first part of this novel and I am excited to continue to analyze this story!
That leads me to some of my questions. I am curious as to why they are both named Henry and what the meaning is? Another thing that I had a question on was the setting of the story on page 105 it says it is a shirt but it's also a country and I guess I was just a little confused. Finally, why the taxidermist wouldn't let him view the play when he asked to? I'm curious if there is a deeper meaning to the play that he isn't seeing.
1st Comment
During this week of consuming this piece of literature called "Beatrice and Virgil" by the great author Yann Martel, it is clear just how concise and meticulous Yann Martel is with his work in this book. Yann offers a plethora of imagery in his words and uses phrases that most of us would never think to use. Or in other words, he words things more creatively and effectively than most of us could articulate. My favorite example of this is on page 23, 7th line down. Yann writes "Colonialism is a terrible bane for a people upon whom it is imposed, but a blessing for a language. English's drive to exploit the new and the alien, its zeal in robbing words from other languages, its incapacity to feel qualms over the matter, its museum-size overabundance of vocabulary, its shoulder-shrug approach to spinning, its don't worry by happy concern for grammar, the result was a language whose colour and wealth Henry loved.". That paragraph perfectly describes what I was talking about before. Meticulous craftsmanship in the form of words. Mindblowing.
One of the little things that did not click for me was why the taxidermist was so caring towards animals that were eventually just going to be someone's prize on a wall? That did not make much sense. But mainly it ties in with my observation. As meticulous as Yann Martel is in some parts of the book, there are spots where it is just completely dry of detail. How does he pick and choose which parts to spice up or leave bone dry?
2nd comment
First reply-Olivia
I was wondering the same thing throughout the first portion of the book. For some of the book to be filled to the brim with a ton of great insight and detail to all of a sudden void of any sort of information regarding what was going on in the book. Very puzzling.
Second reply-Brooke
I absolutely agree with your observation. I loved the quote you used too. It really encapsulates just how creative and truly amazing author he is.
First Comment-
While reading Beatrice and Virgil, I have made several observations about Yann Martel's writing style. The main thing that I have noticed is how descriptive he is. I believe this truly brings the book to life because I can picture everything so clearly. While describing the skull that Henry later bought, Yann described it by mentioning, "The bones shone bright white, and there was power to that whiteness, as there was to the stare of the large eyeball sockets" (Martel 70). This quote clearly shows his descriptive skills. All of these ways to describe keep me, as a reader, very intrigued throughout the whole story.
Like mentioned before in my flipgrid, all of my questions come right back to the mysterious taxidermist. I am wondering why the taxidermist is writing this play. First of all, he asked Henry for his help but won't allow him to read the full play. This makes me question the true meaning behind the play. It has me considering the fact that this play has a deeper and more significant meaning to the taxidermist than he is leading on. I also am questioning why the taxidermist refuses to look at animals that are living. Towards the end of this part of the book, Henry suggests that they meet at the zoo for their next meeting. The older Henry quickly declines and says, "I see zoos as embassies from the wild, each animal representing its species" (Martel 114). I understand his point to this, but there is a bigger problem that stems deeper than this. I think this because he wouldn't even look at Henry's dog, Erasmus.
Second comment-
Abby E- I love your observation on how Beatrice and Virgil may be living during the Holocaust. On page 116 you get to see how Sarah and Henry argue about the Holocaust and how not everything deals with it. But at this point, I think he could be right. You made a good point on how Virgil may be a Jew. While reading, I was a little confused about why the posters were brought into the book. I do think that they could possibly be propaganda for the play.
Brooke G- Your question really has me thinking. I never thought much about Sarah until page 116 when she was arguing with Henry. I also don't understand why she isn't excited for him when he has clearly found something that finally excites him. Hopefully, we get more information about his wife and her feelings towards Henry's adventure further into the novel. I also love your observations throughout the story because I too had the same thoughts.
Throughout my reading of Yann Martel’s stunning novel, Beatrice and Virgil, I have made several observations. One of these observations is the comparison between the town that Henry, the author, moves into and the shirt in Henry, the taxidermist's play. Neither of these places is given a real name. They are just average countries. Yann Martel describes the town as “one of those great cities of the world that is a world unto itself, a storied metropolis where all kinds of people find themselves and lose themselves” (21). But he refuses to specify which city it is. Similarly, the country in the taxidermist’s play is called Shirt and is described as “A country like any other, neighbour to, bigger than, smaller than” (107). This similarity could mean that the play is a story about real life and not just a fairytale about some animals.
I also have many questions regarding the novel. My main question is about Henry, the taxidermist, and his statement that he is like a historian for preserving the animals. If he sees himself as a historian, why would he produce a work of fiction about two of the animals? He refuses to attend zoos unless it is for work because he views it as an unnatural representation of animals yet he is willing to write a story that never happened about animals that are acting in unusual ways. I don’t understand the contradiction that is occurring.
Over the last week or so, while reading Beatrice and Virgil one thing that I can't help but notice are the glaring similarities between this novel and the Divine Comedy, considered to be one of the greatest works of world literature. The first similarity is the novel and play. In the novel, Beatrice and Virgil are a monkey and a donkey. While the Divine Comedy is just people. Although we are not far into the book, it seems as if both characters will go through the same type of hardship, getting through hell. One being the Holocaust while the other is literally hell.
The question that I have is one to do with the taxidermist. Why is he so secretive about his play? He never tells Henry the author anything about his own life or anything about the play other than the basic plot, so Henry the author can infer that the play is about the Holocaust.
Second comment:
Will: I too have noticed Yann Martel’s attention to detail in some parts while also leaving other parts of the novel completely vague. With the talented writer that Martel is, I do not believe that he is just being fickle. I think that he is trying to draw our attention to certain parts of the novel so that we aren’t distracted with an overload of detail about unimportant parts.
Peyton: I agree that at this point in the novel there are many loose strings and maybe even a lack of plot. I get the feeling that Yann Martel is building up to a key plot point that will make everything add up but he could also leave things open-ended and force the reader to draw their own conclusions. Either way, I am excited to continue reading the novel to find out.
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel is a very intriguing book, and also a very confusing book as well. I have enjoyed reading it so far and curious about how the book will end. While reading, one thing really stuck out to me more than anything else, and that was the taxidermist shop. Yann Martel starts talking about the shop on page 56 and ends around page 63 when Henry and the taxidermist start talking, but even through them talking Martel describes more about the store on pages 66 and 67. He talks about the store for about 8 pages, and that is only on the first time Henry enters the store. Every time Henry enters, it seems like he notices something different about the store. He talks about the mannequins, the eyes, and even how they seemed so alive that "only the knowledge that these animals were dead, certainly dead, kept an equally fearful reaction from overtaking Henry. But his heart kept pounding." (page 61) I thought it was super interesting how much time Martel takes to talk about the store. Maybe because most of the book's setting is at the store, or to notice how much effort the taxidermist puts into making the animals look like only time has stopped.
My question for the book right now is will Henry write another book. The story starts with Henry being this famous author who writes an amazing book and everyone loves it and he has this amazing idea for another book (the flipbook). However, starting on page 12, his editors, a historian, and a bookseller basically tell him that his idea sucks. On page 20, he decides he is no longer going to be a writer. While this is not important to the story, it does leave me intrigued. Is Yann Martel just using Henry's background as being an author to help the taxidermist with his play, or is he going to complete a full cycle and end the book with Henry once again writing a fabulous book or possibly even publishing the taxidermist's play and the two being co-authors. It is not important to the novel's plot, but an interesting thought to think about.
Liz K.- I never made the connection about the play being about the war and the holocaust but it makes total sense. If you even think about it, on pages 76 and 77 there are the signs about howler monkeys and how they are ugly and liars, which could be seen similar to the star with the jews or something along those lines. In that case, as well, it is interesting how both the characters are named Henry and that both are writing about the holocaust. Also, if the taxidermist is German, could he have gone through the holocaust himself or had family that did? This would explain why, as it says on page 69, he has no cheerfulness or humor if he went through something traumatic.
Ceci P.- I think the taxidermist asks for Henry's help to get an outside perspective. Since he has been working on it his whole life, he might not be able to think of new things to say or how to fix the play and having a fresh pair of eyes look at it, especially such an author like Henry, would be helpful and informative. The thing that I got confused about as well is on page 100, the taxidermist says that the play doesn't work when he talks about having writer's block; which, like you said, if he has been working on it his whole life how does it not work. I believe since he has been working on it his whole life, and he is older, it is getting harder for him to come up with ideas for his play like how on page 84 he asks Henry to describe the monkey's howl. I also think that he might be getting frustrated as well and that might be why he asked for help because he wants to finish the play before he dies, at least that is what I think.
Throughout reading Yann Martel's novel Beatrice and Virgil, I have been able to make some observations. One thing that I noticed about his style of writing in this book is how detailed he is, yet, at the same time, he is very vague. On page 21, Martel describes the city that Henry and his wife move to as one of the "great cities of the world that is a world unto itself" and that is all he gives us about the description. On page 46-50 when Henry is reading the taxidermists play, he describes in detail a Pear for 4 pages. I find it strange that we do not know the city they have moved to, yet we are given an insanely well-detailed description of a pear. It appears to me that Martel is focused less on physical settings and such and more on an intellectual story that makes you think. He does not put lots of work into settings or people, yet pours out pages when it is looking at works of literature.
I have many questions about this novel. One of my main questions is what was the purpose of also naming the Taxidermist Henry. In the novel, the taxidermist is named from a letter but when Henry and the taxidermist are meeting in person, the taxidermist is hardly ever addressed by his name. I do not understand the purpose because he makes them the same name which would be confusing, but then he must work around it and almost never use the Taxidermist's name as to not confuse the reader.
Over the past couple of weeks, reading Beatrice and Virgil has been an enjoyable experience. I can't wait to see how the characters develop and how the plot unfolds. My biggest observation of the novel through page 116 is the great detail used by Martel but also leaving out large details. The writing style includes many examples of literary devices such as imagery and metaphors creating a very detailed picture. But even so, the novel leaves out a great number of other details. The city Henry and his wife live in is described on page 21 as a great city of the world but is never given a name. Also, the taxidermist never gives a specific price on any of the animals in his store. Instead, Martel chooses to start the phrase but finish it with ellipses so the reader has to guess how much the animals are worth.
A question about the book I have is why does the taxidermist ask for Henry's help writing his play when he keeps dismissing Henry's ideas? Personally, I think the taxidermist is a great writer and, I really enjoyed reading the scenes between Beatrice and Virgil. At first, he seems to enjoy Henry's input and thinks his contributions are good. But on page 91, the taxidermist criticizes everything Henry has written. He complains about the work Henry has done and doesn't even thank him for trying. Why would the taxidermist ask for help if he obviously doesn't want it?
Through page 116 of Beatrice and Virgil, I have really enjoyed reading this novel. The novel starts off with a successful author named Henry be questioned by critics over whether or not his flip book would do well on the shelves. On pages 19 and 20, he travels to Hyde Park and looks at the many people there and questions why he is writing about the Holocaust. He realizes that most books about that subject are the same, so why write another that resembles others? After some time through the novel, he meets a taxidermist, which stuck out to me the most so far. On page 52, Henry is given a letter by an anonymous person. "I read your book and much admired it. I need your help." Henry later goes to the taxidermist shop and helps the man with his play Beatrice and Virgil.
I do have multiple questions, but there is a very prominent one stuck in my head. Why did Henry quit writing? It is clearly something he loves to do, as he still looks at letters that are sent to him. What else will Henry do to contribute to the taxidermist's play? These are a couple of questions I have, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the novel.
2nd Comment
Ethan Wright - I also noticed right away how detailed Martel is in his descriptions of objects and scenes. Like others, the pear description stuck out to me because it is quite a random thing to describe in such detail. I also enjoyed the taxidermist shop scene as well. I definitely see a connection between Martel and animals for sure, although I don't know if it is specifically a tiger. I find it quite interesting that Martel continues to put such a big role for animals in his books as he did in Life of Pi and see many similarities between the two books.
William Campbell - I think Martel chooses what parts he wants to make important because he is trying to make the reader pay attention to the parts of the story that he sees matter. He tends to leave the physical portion of this story as unimportant so far and he is putting a lot of emphasis on the studying and composing of the Taxidermist's play. I believe he does this to draw the reader's attention away from the common viewpoint of a story and instead make the reader use a different perspective.
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel has many deeply-rooted symbols and similarities with Life of Pi. Many parts of this book have caught my attention, but the one piece that really stood out to me was when henry first ventured into the taxidermy shop. In the book, Henry found the dead, stuffed animals to be majestic and he even started looking at them to see if he could find any stitch marks, but none were to be found. Specifically, it was said, "Henry, on the other hand, stood wide-eyed. A tingle of excitement passed through him." (Martel 61) I loved this part of the book because for most of the first part of this story Henry is down on himself and in a bad mood because he is not doing so well on making his second book. But the Okapi Taxidermy Shop almost seems like a safe haven for him, a new place to get his creativity going.
I have many questions for this book, but the one I'm focusing on is whether or not it was some work of God or the universe that brought Henry and the taxidermist together. After a little bit of time at the shop, the taxidermist starts to tell Henry a story about a donkey and a howler monkey. The taxidermist is unknowing that Henry is trying to write a book about the Holocaust and the story that Henry is being told is an allegorical story about the Holocaust. This is needed for the book to keep moving forward, because, after this point, Henry has faith that he can write his book again with the help of the taxidermist and all the stuffed animals.
First comment:
While reading Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, an observation that I made took place on Henry's first visit to Okapi Taxidermy. The realistic nature of the animals and how well the taxidermist is at his craft are vividly described in this section. The first animal Henry meets is an okapi. On page 57, Henry describes it in a way that it seems to still be alive by observing the erectness of the ears as if still listening, the legs appearing to be ready to bolt, and the moist blackness of the eyes. Once Henry enters the shop, he describes on page 60 all the animals that he sees appear to be frozen and will begin to move and react at any moment. Both of these observations show the effort that the taxidermist puts into conserving the true nature of the animals. Henry mentions on page 61 that even though he knows the animals are certainly dead his heart is still pounding and reacting as if he was in the presence of the animals while they were still living.
The question I have has to do with the play and the significance behind the excerpts that the taxidermist has so far shared with Henry. I also am curious about what is motivating the taxidermist to write this play and the message he is trying to share. We still do not know a lot about Beatrice and Virgil as characters in the play so I am interested to find out how they will act and function.
Megan ~ I love the observations you made and I agree with most of them. The quiet and underlying nods towards the Holocaust and even other works by Yann Martel are quite amazing. I find it somewhat weird that the taxidermist is almost a dark, unknown figure in the book. He knows a lot about Henry and in return, Henry knows nothing about him. Was this done on purpose? I don't know but it certainly does help to add some suspense and allows the readers to make inferences on him just like we had to do in Life of Pi.
Jorey- I thoroughly agree with you. One of the biggest mysteries in this book is who is the taxidermist really? And I hope that we, as readers, will get our answers by the end of the book. It would be cool if parts of the taxidermist's past came out in the play. But what would really be something else is if we find out that the taxidermist has some major connections to the Holocaust and that's why he told the Beatrice and Virgil story to begin with.
Going on in the book I am interested in seeing how Martel will continue to reveal the taxidermist's story. Whether it will be through his play and writing or whether he will open up to Henry and reveal what he went through. I am also curious about how the taxidermist will also help Henry and rid him of his writing block and affect him and how he presents his own fictional Holocaust book. Whether he will the story of the taxidermist and use the tale of Julian in his flipbook.
Megan ~ I love the observations you made and I agree with most of them. The quiet and underlying nods towards the Holocaust and even other works by Yann Martel are quite amazing. I find it somewhat weird that the taxidermist is almost a dark, unknown figure in the book. He knows a lot about Henry and in return, Henry knows nothing about him. Was this done on purpose? I don't know but it certainly does help to add some suspense and allows the readers to make inferences on him just like we had to do in Life of Pi.
Jorey- I thoroughly agree with you. One of the biggest mysteries in this book is who is the taxidermist really? And I hope that we, as readers, will get our answers by the end of the book. It would be cool if parts of the taxidermist's past came out in the play. But what would really be something else is if we find out that the taxidermist has some major connections to the Holocaust and that's why he told the Beatrice and Virgil story to begin with.
1st comment
When reading through page 116 of Yann Martel's novel called "Beatrice and Virgil", I have noticed that Henry, the main character, seems to be a reflection of Martel's personality, desires, and frustrations. Martel shows that Henry is himself in how both are Canadian authors, with wildly successful books involving animals. He shows his desire to write a new book, just as successful as the last one, while also striving to talk about a touchy subject. He also portrays his frustrations as a writer through Henry, having writer's block and getting turned down on a publishing pitch. He even goes to show how much of a struggle it can be to try and move on after a failed publishing.
My question involves why the taxidermist chooses to remain mysterious to Henry. I find it quite odd that he would ask someone for help and mentor Henry in a way, but never explain his life or struggles. Any mentor figure in media usually uses their past to teach the next generation or their pupil. In this case, Henry knows nothing about the taxidermist other than that he has a problem with finishing his play and he wants help.
1st comment:
Throughout the first 116 pages of Beatrice & Virgil, I got to observe many things. I noticed that Yann Martel puts himself into his writing just like he did in Life of Pi. Instead of making it more obvious like in Life of Pi, he hides within a character. As we read the pages we can easily assume the connection to Yann Martel through Henry the author. Another thing I noticed was his detail in description and emotion. It is the perfect amount of detail to keep the reader interested. I specifically liked the description he uses to explain the taxidermist shop.
One question I have after reading is who is Henry? We know who Henry the author is, but who is Henry the taxidermist? He is a confusing character. He first sends a letter asking for Henry the author's help; however, when the author got to the taxidermist shop, Henry the taxidermist turns him away. The taxidermist never seems happy that Henry the author was there, which is misleading. I just want to know more about the taxidermist's story and background.
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel has many deeply-rooted symbols and similarities with Life of Pi. Many parts of this book have caught my attention, but the one piece that really stood out to me was when henry first ventured into the taxidermy shop. In the book, Henry found the dead, stuffed animals to be majestic and he even started looking at them to see if he could find any stitch marks, but none were to be found. Specifically, it was said, "Henry, on the other hand, stood wide-eyed. A tingle of excitement passed through him." (Martel 61) I loved this part of the book because for most of the first part of this story Henry is down on himself and in a bad mood because he is not doing so well on making his second book. But the Okapi Taxidermy Shop almost seems like a safe haven for him, a new place to get his creativity going.
I have many questions for this book, but the one I'm focusing on is whether or not it was some work of God or the universe that brought Henry and the taxidermist together. After a little bit of time at the shop, the taxidermist starts to tell Henry a story about a donkey and a howler monkey. The taxidermist is unknowing that Henry is trying to write a book about the Holocaust and the story that Henry is being told is an allegorical story about the Holocaust. This is needed for the book to keep moving forward, because, after this point, Henry has faith that he can write his book again with the help of the taxidermist and all the stuffed animals.
Megan ~ I love the observations you made and I agree with most of them. The quiet and underlying nods towards the Holocaust and even other works by Yann Martel are quite amazing. I find it somewhat weird that the taxidermist is almost a dark, unknown figure in the book. He knows a lot about Henry and in return, Henry knows nothing about him. Was this done on purpose? I don't know but it certainly does help to add some suspense and allows the readers to make inferences on him just like we had to do in Life of Pi.
Jorey- I thoroughly agree with you. One of the biggest mysteries in this book is who is the taxidermist really? And I hope that we, as readers, will get our answers by the end of the book. It would be cool if parts of the taxidermist's past came out in the play. But what would really be something else is if we find out that the taxidermist has some major connections to the Holocaust and that's why he told the Beatrice and Virgil story to begin with.
2nd Comment
Quinn, I love the comparison you made between Henry and Yann Martel himself. I would have never thought of the similarities that face Henry and Martel. This thought has opened up my mind to a completely new level. I can see the frustration of both authors now that you mention that. How Yann expresses that is through his fictional character Henry, but it might be just a spitting image of himself.
Ethan H, I also like the comparison you made between Beatrice and Virgil and the Divine Comedy. I don't have that level of thinking to realize that similarity, so it's really cool that you mentioned that. I can totally see the similarities now. As for your question, I am also wondering why the taxidermist is so secretive of his play. That will be interesting to see as the novel progresses.
Alex: As to your question if Henry will write another book, that is also something I have been wondering. I think being in his place has to be extremely difficult. Being a great author with a book loved by many, then coming up with another idea but being told it sucks can't be easy. At this point in the novel, I can't tell whether or not Martel intends for Henry's writing background to be used solely for helping the taxidermist finish his play or if Henry is going to write another novel. Henry quit writing because he claims, "the urge left him" (page 20). With the taxidermist's project maybe the urge might show up again so he continues to write.
Ceci: I also noticed the similarities between Henry and Yann Martel. Both are authors with life-changing books with animals that teach a lesson about the human condition. They both have cases of writer's block after their first novel. Martel explains that his novel, Life of Pi, was created as he was hungry. Maybe the comparison between Martel and Henry will continue throughout the novel and Henry will write a book even better than his first one.
2nd comment
Quinn Gienapp- I agree fully that Henry is yet again a self-insert of Yann Martel. I think you worded how he portrays himself quite nicely. And I feel like that something is hindering the taxidermist from finishing his work. I don't think its writer's block for his whole life, maybe its something in his past that is holding him back?
Daisey Vis- Good job on explaining how frustrating it is to publish another successful novel. And I agree that it is quite strange for the taxidermist to have worked on this all his life, yet has nothing to show for it. It is very odd that he wants Henry to help him, while the two of them hold opposite interests in animals.
I think Beatrice and Virgil is a very beguiling book; the novel really piques my interest and I can't really put my finger on why. I have thought a lot about it while I was reading and made sure to jot down some observations in doing so. For instance (and I mentioned this in my Flipgrid), after Henry's novel fails he falls into a sort of depression as he tries to find himself and what he likes doing. I found it ironic then on Page 25, how he goes and works at a Chocolate café, and chocolate is a food that produces the same chemical in the brain as love and happiness. In addition, the names of the main characters are both Henry and that name suits their connection to the Holocaust. Henry is an English and Germanic name so I think it is very fitting for both characters. I also feel like the Holocaust roots in Taxidermy are interesting. On pg. 98 the taxidermist says he became a taxidermist to bear witness which would make sense for a holocaust survivor. A survivor would want to at most bear witness, but not be a part of the killings and furthermore, the preservation aspect is so we don't lose that history. Just like the Holocaust, we don't want to forget about that event because the moment we don't preserve that history, it is forgotten. However, I would like to make an observation I saw in the entire novel as a whole. Yann Martel gives the reader just enough information to stay interested in what they are currently reading but never enough to fully give it away or to tell the whole story and I think that is expertly done.
I did have some questions as well about the novel. My first question is what was his first novel? What was it about? Everyone says it was super profound and impacted many. I've seen things that might suggest its Life of Pi but I can't confirm that and I was wondering. My second question is why this story? How does Yann Martel transition from a story about Pi's life to 10 years later an equally as deep story about taxidermy and the holocaust? Also, I'm curious about the significance of the names taken from Dante's Divine Comedy.
second comment:
Alex Davis: I also agree that the book is confusing. I also really liked the taxidermist shop. It does seem like every time Henry enters, it seems like he notices something different about the store. I really liked how you included the quote, 'He talks about the mannequins, the eyes, and even how they seemed so alive that "only the knowledge that these animals were dead, certainly dead, kept an equally fearful reaction from overtaking Henry. But his heart kept pounding." (page 61)' I like your question too, and now I am also wondering if Henry will write another book. You have a point in expressing that he started the story by explaining that he is a famous author, and he wanted to write another book. Now you got me wondering if he will.
Meghanne Meyer: I agree that Beatrice and Virgil is closely to Life of Pi because of the symbols. I really like the part that Henry firsts go into the taxidermy shop. I like the quote you included, 'specifically, it was said, "Henry, on the other hand, stood wide-eyed. A tingle of excitement passed through him." (Martel 61)' You also have a really good question. Does God or some universal soul have some doing in this? Did they meet by fate? Was it all a set up by some higher power, or was it just a coincidence? All good questions that I am now wondering about too.
First Comment:
While reading to page 116 in Yann Martel’s novel Beatrice and Virgil I have made many observations and realizations during those pages but the main one that stuck out to me was the similarities between the main protagonist of the novel and the author of the novel. That comparison between Henry and Yann Martel, Yann likes to emerge himself into the novels that he writes and that was clearly noticed in Life of Pi with the italicized chapters, but in this novel, he emerges as the main character. Some of the similarities between the two are that they both have very interesting backgrounds both Yann and Henry have lived in various different countries and have been exposed to many different cultures. Henry has also been exposed to different languages,” His mother tongue was French, and the good fortunes of his childhood, his being the son of roving Canadian foreign service officers, had led him to learn English and German with complete fluency.”(22) They are also both authors that write great novels that impact the reader to a great extent. One last similarity that showed itself is that they both write back to each and every single fan mail letter that they receive.”Henry answered each and every letter. He had a printer make a folded, invitation-size card for him.”(28) I made other observations but that is the one that stuck out the most.
One question that I have is the importance of the story of Julian from Henry the taxidermist as a fan mail letter. In the story called The Legend of Saint Julian, the story describes all of the killings that Julian goes on to do and all of the death that he causes. Also, Henry, the taxidermist goes on to highlight all of the killings that he does and all blood that is lost through all of his killings. I am just wondering about the importance of including this story in the novel.
2nd Comment
Henry H.- I have also noticed a similar thing when I read the book, the ambiguity runs rampant throughout the novel so I entirely agree. It seems odd with what Yann Martel chooses to elaborate on and what he does not. I believe that Yann does this to keep our attention away from the trivial details and to focus on the main story. Also, he probably doesn't want us to see symbolism in the wrong things. On the flip side of that, maybe it is the exact opposite. Maybe Yann Martel left out such details, knowing that we, the reader, would notice and it would draw us back into the novel. Such discrepancies could cause us to look back in the book and think.
Ethan W.- I too would not push this past Martel; the idea that the taxidermist is who ends up helping the author. I think as the story continues that idea becomes more prominent. Especially at the end, on page 115 there are elements of Henry the taxidermist and his story that remind him of the holocaust. Henry sees everything in the holocaust. After he left his novel, he probably hasn't put too much thought into the holocaust and to his book but the taxidermist appears to be changing all of that.
First Comment-
When reading "Beatrice and Virgil", you can really see the uniqueness of Yann Martel's writing style. Martel uses imagery to his advantage to describe the whole scene, he did this a lot in "Life of Pi" as well. I really like how he uses a lot of imagery because it brings you into the book more, it really makes you part of the story and I think that is what Martel intended. One example of his amazing skills is pages 44-51, these pages are dedicated to the description of a pear. That is eight pages of description for a pear. The reader not only sees the pear but they can taste and feel the texture too. That is what makes that part so unique it takes a lot of good writing and descriptive words to have that experience. Another unique thing I noticed is how Martel formats his books. "Life of Pi", was formatted like a diary, with short chapters. "Beatrice and Virgil" is written like a play with no chapters at all, this definitely adds more to the story.
I question Henry the Taxidermist. I do not know what to think about him but there is definitely something off. One thing about him that I find particularly strange is that his name is also Henry, and he is also trying to write something. I do not think that the characters sharing these traits are a random coincidence. Knowing Yann Martel's writing and what he did to foil Pi and Richard Parker, I am starting to wonder if Henry(the taxidermist) is a different version of Henry(like his Id)
Second Comment-
Elizabeth Kluin (Same Class): You bring up a very good point if the animals Henry taxidermies are really animals. I was wondering the same thing because of the confusion in "Life of Pi" if the animals were really animals. I think Yann Martel puts a lot of symbolism into his work so that the reader will question it. As stated before he wants us to make the books our own, so I think that the animals could be either-or.
Cecilia P (Different Class): I too believe that Martel's character Henry is based on himself. They both are authors, and both have struggled to get a book published. His interaction with the publisher on page 17, could have had an interaction that Martel has experienced. I think a lot of Henry's thoughts and feelings reflect a lot of Martel too, like on page 18, Henry beats himself up saying, "I should have said this... I should have said that...". I feel that those are real feelings that Martel has felt while trying to sell books.
While reading this fascinating novel Beatrice and Virgil, I have used my literary lenses to analyze this masterpiece that I have enjoyed thoroughly over this unadvertised break. Immediately it is easy to realize the similarities between Henry and Yann Martel himself. Yann Martel is such a smooth writer it may be hard for some readers to observe this who does not have the background knowledge. My question is why Henry and Henry are named the same. I think that it has something to do with the flipbook that is mentioned heavily from pages 6-14. They may be in the same book just upside down from each other, perceiving things differently still knowing each other and helping each other write. But this why not use the last name or middle name, something that wouldn't confuse the reader as much?
Second Comment:
Emily M- I also noticed the same notion to Pi and Life of Pi when Henry shows interest in the tiger. I think it is a smart way for Yann Martel to once again show himself through his characters. Henry also mentions on page 65 that the tigers are "remarkable". This supports the idea that out of all of the animals, Henry (Yann Martel) is continuously captivated and curious about tigers. I am also questioning why the taxidermist needs Henry's help but when he receives it he seems cold or reserved to Henry's ideas.
Megan P- I love how you tied both situations together by calling the taxidermist's play the found heart of the Holocaust that Henry is looking for. If the play with Beatrice and Virgil is the new way to write about the Holocaust, I wonder if the taxidermist already has that thought in mind or if Henry will be the one to introduce the ideas as he continues to help. The striped shirt is a reference that Henry has picked up on and is wondering if the taxidermist could actually be alluding to the Holocaust. I also wonder why the taxidermist would be interested in having that as the purpose behind his play or if he could be trying to compare the treatment of animals to the harsh actions during the Holocaust.
First response
Observation
The first thought that has come to me while reading the first 116 pages of this book, was the obvious similarities between Yann Martel and the main protagonist Henry. Both are actors, and there are a lot of animals involved in the book. I think that this is interesting, and kind of cool, because you get to have Yann Martel in the story basically, so I think that it is interesting how he can sort of inject himself into the story.
Question
My question, as I also stated in the FlipGrid yesterday, was, is there a deeper meaning to both the taxidermist and the author named Henry? Was this supposed to be Martel's way of hinting at something? Personally, I believe that it does have deeper meaning, but what exactly, I have yet to determine.
It is hard to put the book down when reading Beatrice and Virgil. The subtle connections Martel makes throughout the book that refer to himself gives it a unique style and can be interesting to many readers. The establishment of characters throughout the novel can be connected to other characters, objects, or ideas, which makes the reader have to fully analyze the text. An outstanding connection between two beings within the story that I've noticed is the story of Julian and the taxidermist. The main giveaway to this is the animals, of course, but also how the taxidermist has no interest in live animals, just like how Julian is when he sees animals as below him in status.
One question that I have is why Martel is being so vague with some details. For example, how he doesn't name the city he moved to or why he just gave up on writing. I can see it kind of intriguing how he doesn't want the reader exposed to the character so much that we know everything about him, but instead, leave up wondering and figuring it out for ourselves.
Second Respons
Period 6 Classmate
Thomas- I agree with you that when Henry enters the taxidermy shop, and observes every animal inside, it really is interesting how descriptive Yann Martel becomes when speaking on this experience. This was one of the reasons why I have found this book so entertaining up until this point.
Other Period Classmate
Eli C.-Back the describing of things, I think that when he is describing the pear it is really interesting the detail that he puts into that as well. And as redundant as it sounds, the detail that Martel writes with has really elevated this book for me, and the whole pear ordeal was very cool to me.
Second comment:
Cade Tripp: I completely agree that Yann Martel has emerged himself in this book. He makes the story seem as if it is being told to you. I can also see your connection to how Henry and Yann are related. They are both very successful authors. I can also assume that they are similar in another way, the fact that they like to respond to some of the messages that they get from their readers. As described on pages 27 and 28, Henry replies to almost all of his letters and they make him happy most times. I think that Yann Martel also responds to some of the letters that he gets hence why we are going to be able to talk with him later this year. I also was wondering the same question as you. How is he supposed to help the taxidermist with the play if he isn't allowed to get it and he doesn't know what it is about? Perhaps we will find out as we continue to read!
Kylie Felderman: I also thought that the flipbook was a really creative and interesting way for him to write his book and get his point across. The publishers then shot him down which killed his confidence. However, if that didn't happen then he would have never moved to start a "new" life. I'm sure that Henry must have been devastated because "Five years of hard work it had taken him" (11). When it comes to your question I too was confused about why the taxidermist's name is also Henry. I think that there has to be a deeper meaning to it and hopefully, we get to see what it means later in the story!
1st comment
While reading Beatrice and Virgil one thing that has stuck out to me is how Martel puts himself in his own writing. It creates layers to the book. There is the plot that is within the pages but also a part of the fiction book is real in some ways. For example, the author Henry in the book obviously represents himself. As you learn more about Henry you in turn learn more about Yann Martel himself. I have two questions when it comes to Beatrice and Virgil and Yann Martel's writing. Why does always include animals in his books to represent human behavior? Why does Martel often put characters in his book that have the same names? (Kumar and Kumar, and Henry and Henry)
Second Comment
RESPONSE TO-Hunter Marso- I agree fully with what you said about the lack of chapters making this book a page-turner and an easy read. The plot never really pausing makes it easy to keep reading, and even when it does pause shortly, the action will be back much sooner than later. My hypothesis for your first question about the taxidermist is that he is an introvert. He may be by choice or may not, but he seems to not fit in very much and I think he uses the animals being real to keep him from being sad about maybe not having many friends.
RESPONSE TO-Brooke Goeden- The scene that you picked was an excellent one, I specifically remember reading this scene. The detail was phenomenal and I thought to myself how Yann Martel had done it again. His talent is truly phenomenal and this book is a masterpiece. The question you asked has bothered me as well. It seems that Henry's wife couldn't be less interested in his work, and with a baby on the way how are they going to make that work between themselves?
2nd comment
Dylan Nath, I completely agree that Martel puts himself in his writing and it makes the book much more interesting. Also, I agree that having the background knowledge that we do makes this book more enjoyable and easier to understand. We have had experience with Martel's writing, therefore, the recurring themes such as himself in his own writing and the animals in the stories make the novel even better. Especially when we get to compare and contrast Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil.
Abby Erkonen, I completely agree that Martel putting animals into his stories both makes it more interesting for the reader and challenges them to think and invigorates them to turn the pages. I think this is just one of Martel's brilliant tools he uses when writing his novels and it is a big reason as to why his books are so intriguing.
The first thing I notice right away is the similarities between Yann Martel and Henry. Henry's first book failed and Yann Martel had a book before Life of Pi. Also, Henry wanted his book to be in a unique style by making it into a flipbook; Yann Martell chooses to write in a unique style as well. So far, I have also noticed that Yann Martell has put some religion in Beatrice and Virgil which does not surprise me considering his book Life of Pi was completely based on religion. Yann Martel made a very interesting statement about fame saying, "In fact, being famous was no different than being gay, or Jewish, or from a visible minority"(5). Another time where religion is mentioned is when Yann writes, "Henry was reminded of a Buddhist monk meditating to the mantra" (53). While Yann Martell is a very unique writer, I am still able to see some similarities between his two books Beatrice and Virgil and Life of Pi. I am very curious as to why Yann Martell goes into so much detail about what a pear is and what it looks like from pages 44-51? What is the significance of describing the pear in so much detail?
Second Comment:
Hunter Marso: I agree with you fully that without the use of chapters in the novel it makes it a quicker read and it makes it easier to turn the pages. I would also agree with you when you say that the interest level of the book continues to increase as the pages start to turn. Then with your observation, I would go on to say that I think it is a theme that Yann instills into his novels with the importance of animals and their impact in the novel. Then to maybe further elaborate on what you said about Julian, I think that he serves as the Nazis during the war/holocaust and the jews are all of the animals that he is slaying. But that is just one way of looking at it that I can think of. Lastly to somewhat answer your question about Henry the taxidermist and how he has such a carefree attitude is because he is a weird dude and he is just a little bit different.
Cade Tripp: While reading this novel I came to the same realization as you in noticing how Yann Martel puts himself into the book and it has been apparent in both books that we have read so far up to this point. I would also agree that there are a lot of undeniable characteristics between Henry and Yann. I also would agree that writers do have a hard time publishing their books but sometimes that is what it takes to create a great book. Then to try and answer your question I think that Henry the taxidermist is a different dude and there is something wrong in his head. But I feel like there is going to be a further explanation upon that question later on in the novel.
Second Comment:
1st reply– Grant Gunderson
I want to thank you for making me realize how many connections to the Holocaust this book possesses! How the taxidermist went into taxidermy to bear witness and also how we should preserve history and learn from it, instead of killing it off and throwing it away like some game that was hunted. I also totally agree on how amazing Martel has been with giving the reader just enough information to stay focused, but not too much to expose the characters, setting, etc. It gives the reader an opportunity to help shape the book for themselves, which gives it unique and distinctive qualities.
2nd reply– Jenna Long
I agree with how greatly Martel describes the setting and the characters within the book. He gives us a lot of imagery and he attacks our senses by painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind. I also wonder why the taxidermist appears to be so tense and clinical; almost robotic. If he asked for Martel's help, you would think he would be more open-minded and not so cold. This makes me wonder if he is testing Henry's literary knowledge, experience, ability?
first comment:
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been able to read and study the novel Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. At first, I was uninterested in the story and found myself having a hard time getting into it. But, luckily, I started to enjoy it more and more. I think the reasoning I started to enjoy and understand it more was due to the observations I began to make. Analyzing the story, I began to pick out several similarities between Henry, the main character in the novel, and Yann Martel, the author. I found it very intriguing how Yann Martel inserted himself into the novel. Yann and Henry share the similarities of being authors that have dealt with failure. On page 17, Henry admits that his Holocaust flipbook was “a complete, unpublishable failure.” Yann has had the same struggles; for example, in Life of Pi he expressed that he had worked on a book that ended up being a flop. Henry, therefore, is most definitely a reflection of Yann Martel. I went on to do some research on the internet about the similarities of the two and came across an article stating that Martel had claimed he had written an abandoned novel about a donkey and monkey named Beatrice and Virgil—then used aspects of that in this published novel. I thought that was very interesting. Henry, therefore, is most definitely a reflection of Yann Martel. Another observation I made was of the similarity of writing styles Yann Martel used in Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil. I noticed that he is using animals to tell a story. I think he does this to put a lighter mood on the deep and dark meanings that he is truly writing about. In Life of Pi, he uses the Patel family’s zoo animals to tell Pi’s story instead of showing the truth of cannibalism, murder, and inhumanity. I think Beatrice and Virgil in the play will do the same. There is definitely going to be an underlying meaning in the taxidermist’s play, I believe. For example, on page 44, the play opens with an in-depth description of the fruit. I have a feeling that the fruit represents something much bigger, though.
That leads me to some of my questions. I am very curious to find out about the play more that the taxidermist has written. What does the fruit represent? Why were lines about animals and killing highlighted? Why is the taxidermist skeptical about having people read his play? I am very interested to see how the story progresses and uncover symbols.
Second Comment:
Kate Livingston: I agree that Yann Martell is very descriptive and likes to go into depth while explaining things in his stories. For example, when he described a pear for 7 pages from pages 44-51. I really like your comparison between Yann's description of the pear and Henry's description of the taxidermist's shop. The correlation between the two being so descriptive really shows how they are similar.
Eli Cheever: I think your observation is very interesting and I never thought about how vague Yann Martel can be at times. It is strange how he goes into so much detail about the pear in pages 44-51 but so little detail about the city that Henry is moving to. I also see how much he likes to use animals for symbolism.
second comment:
Cole Sylliaasen: I completely agree it is blatantly apparent that Yann Martel inserts himself into the writing he does. I liked how you pointed out that he used italics in Life of Pi to emerge himself, and how now in Beatrice and Virgil he is pretty much the main character/protagonist Henry. In my first comment, I mentioned how they were similar because they were both failing authors at one point. I enjoyed your comparing their ethnic backgrounds as a similarity also.
Kate Livingston: I also enjoyed Yann Martel’s imagery. I thought it was interesting how he described the pear so vividly. I have to infer that there must be a symbolization within this description, because who would care so dearly about a pear! I was also confused about the Taxidermist’s play. I thought it was odd how in the parts of the play that are read there really is not a plot of any sort. I am hoping that we get answers and clarity to these things as we continue reading and analyzing.
First Comment
Pages 63-67 are all about the taxidermist and what is in his shop. Henry is quoted as, "Henry stared wide-eyed at the creatures around him. A tingle of excitement went down him" (Martel 64) This shows that the shop is just what Henry needed to bring his confidence back up. I think that the taxidermist knowing a lot about Henry and Henry knowing basically nothing about him is symbolic of something. We just do not know what yet.
My question is... What do you think this is symbolic of? and In the beginning of the book Henry states "A book is a part of speech. At the heart of mine is an incredibly upsetting event that can only survive in dialogue." (pg. 12) why is that the case?
Second Comment:
Response to Olivia M:
I completely agree with your observation. He gives an intense amount of details to items and objects you wouldn’t think would regularly be necessary. I can say for myself that it keeps me interested during my whole reading time. Your question relating to why the two main characters have the same name, Henry. At first confusing, I think this is a great way to see the resemblance between the two characters when they don’t seem alike at all. I also remember Yann Martel used the “same name” strategy in his other novel, Life of Pi. The two Mr. Kumar’s in the novel shows how Pi came across his two passions—zoology and religion. Even though both of the Mr. Kumar’s seem completely different, they share a common similarity in their name.
Response to Hunter M:
The lack of chapters is a very good observation and you have a good reason behind it. It is also important that you mentioned how in the highlighted chapters in the story that he gave Henry, an animal was being called—foreshadowing relating that Henry is a taxidermist which he soon finds out. Your question relating to why the taxidermist cares so much about the animals if they are soon to be killed and mounted intrigued me. I think that he thinks he can provide them some sort of after life when he works on them after the animal has died. The animals have a story before they have come to them and I think he feels as if he is giving them another chance to show their story through his work.
First Comment:
When reading Beatrice and Virgil I noticed Henry's reactions to the animals when he arrives at the shop the first time. He is very intrigued, to say the least. This all began when Henry spotted the Okapi "looking up the street at him". Henry seemed to be interested in every object, every trade, every person, and every characteristic. I really enjoyed learning about the animals he had in the store as Henry explored and described them as the wonderful author he is. His ability to describe his surroundings amazes me. I can't blame the taxidermist for wanting his help describing the sounds and appearances of the Virgil (73-84).
This book does also leaves questions unanswered in my mind. Why do the Author and the Taxidermist have the same name? Is there a reason behind that? Does the taxidermist just REALLY like pears and bananas or is there more to it? Henry is told by the clerk at the store he stops by after visiting the taxidermist that the other Henry buys an awful lot of pears and bananas. There has to be more to it. My final question is that is there a reason Yann includes the dog and his reaction to the animals?
First comment:
On pages 80-84 some things that stuck out to me are that the words he comes up with to describe the animals come out so easily and it is not apparent that he has taken time away from writing because it is still active within him. That is until on page 84 he finds a genuine loss for words and cannot find anything to describe what the howl sounds like. He is great at picturing the details but not so much at describing the sound.
A question that I have is about that part where he reads the ending of the letter he was sent and all it says is that he needs help. It makes me wonder if the taxidermist wouldn't have clarified, then would Henry still have gone to help and come up with words for the taxidermist. The letter leaves it untied and creates a mystery about what he needs help.
FIRST COMMENT: So far, Beatrice and Virgil has been a very interesting book. I like how Henry has written a more fictional book about the holocaust and I agree with his thought on page 9 which is "Henry had noticed over years of reading books and watching movies how little actual fiction there was about the holocaust." This shows more about Henry as a character and I think he is very intelligent but also creative. My favorite part of the book so far was when Beatrice and Virgil were talking about the pear. The way Virgil describes the taste of the pear makes me want one. On page 51 Virgil says, "...when your teeth sink into the bliss of one, it becomes a wholly engrossing activity." My one question is why doesn't Martel tell us what city Henry and Sarah move to? All he says on page 21 is "They settled in one of those great cities of the world that is a world unto itself...".
Dylan Nath, I really like the comparison of the two Henry's to the flipbook, this makes a lot of sense to me. The two Henry's are very opposite, or backward to one another, in their character so the flipbook makes perfect sense. I was also wondering how they are related; if you are correct, this is a very impressive feature that Martel has added into his writing. I am very curious to see how the two Henry's are related as the book continues on.
Mike Chevalier, I agree that it is annoying not knowing where Henry is currently living, especially after Martel teased us like you had mentioned. It could be that the location of the story is irrelevant to the rest of the story so Martel chose not to mention it to tease us on purpose. I also think that eventually, we may discover where they are located or the reason that Martel has not told us the location where the story is taking place.
Second comment:
Abby E. I noticed this as well and it took me aback while reading the book because it clearly is related to Life of Pi with animals and makes me curious to know if Martel has any studying in the past with zoology considering it is included in both books. In both books to do directly give the animals human traits and more. I didn't even notice that it could be just Henry being cold towards Henry, I just thought it was his personality and moved on so that was a great question!
Maia A. I also noticed how much imagery Martel uses while reading and it made me appreciate him a lot more as an author considering he didn't live Life of Pi so I figured that the main character who actually lived it did most of the imagery but he most definitely has that talent. I agree with your question and think that there is something off with the new Henry and that he wants more than words to describe his animals.
First Comment:
While reading Beatrice and Virgil, my curiosity surrounded the taxidermist and his timid nature. When we first meet the taxidermist on page 59, he comes off as a rude, shy, old man. He does not care much for small talk, and the only way you are getting multiple sentences out of him is by asking about taxidermy. In one instance, Henry tells the taxidermist to write a little bit about taxidermy to spark his writer's flow, and nearly six and a half boring pages later, we finish learning about the art that is taxidermy. The old man sure loves his "art." I found this aspect of the old man, and the entire novel so far, as a key part to the story that brings, curiosity to the reader, and a problem to the protagonist, Henry.
Because most of my reading was centered around my intrigue in the taxidermist, I continue to ask myself a lot of questions. When it comes to this shy old man that speaks rarely, what is his point in writing a fictional narrative about two animals that are nothing alike? Not only am I struggling to understand why this man decided to write this narrative so many years ago, but why did he use two prominent figures in literary history such as Beatrice and Virgil from Dante's The Divine Comedy? My best guess is that everything in his novel has a deep-rooted allegory that we are yet to learn of.
SECOND COMMENT:
Kate Livingston: I agree with everything you said about the taxidermist. I think his name is Henry actually which gets sort of confusing. On page 52 Henry is reading the note from the taxidermist and in the book, it says "The signature was barely legible. The second half, symbolizing the last name, was nothing more than a curled line...But he could decipher the first name: Henry." I don't understand the point of Henry, the taxidermist's, play either. He also doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about anything besides taxidermy so it surprises me that he is even trying to write a play. He is very mysterious and I would like to find out more about him.
Olivia McIlravy: I was wondering the same thing about Martel leaving out details because he doesn't even tell us where Henry and Sarah live which bothers me a little bit. I also think it is confusing that the two main characters share the same name. Maybe throughout the story, there will be more detail about things Martel finds more important than others. I do agree with you that he has been very descriptive of certain things so far which makes me think he does that on purpose to emphasize things that matter more in the story as it unfolds.
First Comment:
A comment:
As I find that the beginning of the story to be a drag, an essay as his editors at lunch describe, "a slog" as I mention in my question about the story, this seems to be intentional, as Henry the Author seems to be a stand-in for Yann Martel from our previous blog task, this seems to be a way to tell the story of the fiction/non-fiction essay story he wants to tell.
A Question:
So far the story of both Henry's, fall under the description he gives his editor of a flipbook both fiction and non-fiction, essay and story; as Beatrice and Virgil so far seem to follow that theme, Henry the author is the essay of his life in a new city and Henry the Taxidermist is the fiction as he writes his play about Beatrice and Virgil, I wonder if this theme will continue.
First comment:
After reading the novel, Beatrice & Virgil, for the past few weeks I have made numerous observations about it. The first thing I was drawn to was the similarities between the main character Henry and the author Yann Martel. Both wrote novels that were a hit and became very popular. Struggles were also hard for both of them making them feel as if they could never write a good book again. On page 20 it states “And so Henry left Hyde Park no longer a writer.” This shows how criticism just ruins people’s drive to want to do the things they love just as it did for Henry and Yann for quite some time. When Henry said that on page 20, it made me wonder if you're once a writer, are you always a writer? I believe that Henry (the taxidermist) helps Henry get back into writing and realize how much he loves it. Another thing I noticed was how descriptive Yann Martel’s books are. How could someone describe a pear in the ways he did because to me it’s just a fruit. On pages 48 & 49, there are two pages of a pear being described. Without the descriptiveness of the book, I feel like it would be lacking a key part of it. Henry (the taxidermist) explains how important preserving the animals' life is to him, helping you see the importance of these animals in his life. Henry (the main character) and Henry (the taxidermist) both are trying to preserve things: one being the things that happened during the Holocaust and the other being animals. Though both examples are very different it gives us a similarity between the two. The book definitely has a creepy story behind it and I can’t wait to continue to explore it even more than I have.
Although I feel like I understand the book, I still have questions that I hope are later answered in the book. One thing I’ve wondered about is why Henry (the taxidermist) asked Henry (the main character) to help him write the play, Beatrice & Virgil? I just haven’t seen a clear reason why he would choose Henry to help. Another question is what’s the connection between the Holocaust, taxidermists, talking donkeys, and the pear? Why are all those random things included in this novel? This novel also makes me wonder if it happened or not. This book has definitely made me think of myself and the world in a different light.
First comment
Henry the author is a representation of Yann Martel. Both are Canadian authors with novels about animals, and both are popular as a result of each author's second novels. Another thing that ties Henry the author and Martel together is Henry's flipbook. Henry's flipbook tells the same story in both fiction and nonfiction similar to the way Pi tells two different stories with one being more fanciful, making Henry's flipbook a subtle reference to Life of Pi (even though the content of each book is different).
Who is Henry the taxidermist? At this point in the story, Henry the taxidermist is a major character. Martel made the author and the taxidermist share the same name, but what is the reason for it?
Response 1: (to Nathan Holm)
If you ask them why he seems to be using the religious themes, in this case, the name of Beatrice and Virgil—Dante's guides through heaven and hell—perhaps we should look at this in a religious lens. If we look at what the twp stories the Taxidermist has given Henry the Author so far, the Saint Julian with the animals and Beatrice and Virgil from the names of his howler monkey and the donkey, perhaps the story he wishes to tell with HIS, the TAxidermist Henry, a story about religious redemption, in that he uses Beatrice and Virgil as his guides, as they were Dante's, and using the vicious slaughter of innocent animals didn't stop Julian ascension to sainthood with Jesus Christ—there is clearly more to the taxidermist than his shy and rough demeanor reveals.
Response 2: (Brian Wynia)
As I touched on in my response to Nathan Holm, the taxidermist must be hiding something from us the readers and from Henry the Author, wanting help from a famous author to help finish his redemption play. He does say that the play has been something he has been working on all his life, even though other people around him call him strange if continuing from the redemption angle I was working within my other response. As redemption and working to right wrongs of the past is something that can take your whole life, as seen in the Saint Julian story how he only realized his senseless slaughter of animals and people only came to a close after he murdered his parents—perhaps the taxidermist has done something similar in the past, maybe not as extreme as murder, but perhaps something he feels guilty about.
First Comment:
Through reading Beatrice & Virgil, I have developed some very mixed feelings. While exposition is important to setting up any story and giving readers some insight on what will entail within its pages, I've found that Yann Martel's writing style leans towards copious exposition. The novel is a fairly quick and simple read but requires patience from readers to appreciate even the slight details that seem unimportant in the plot because they know that Yann Martel has a greater plan and reward for those that do--a concept so similar to Life of Pi's setup. Even more similar among the books are the themes displayed. As Henry enters the taxidermy shop, he briefly mentions that the disarray reminds him of the animals aboard Noah's ark. Consequently, I was brought back to the chapter in Life of Pi that described the animals in chaos aboard the quickly cap-sizing ship.
It's clear that Yann Martel has injected himself, rightfully, into this story. The very first pages of the novel describe Henry, a once-successful author who is trying to find another groove. Yann Martel himself speaks of the challenges of coming up with another hit after one piece of work became so popular. My question in this was something that I had wondered during Life of Pi: How much of this is Yann Martel? And how much can we expect moving forward to portray Yann's feelings on the subject?
Second Comment:
Meghanne Meyer: I loved your response. I feel as if Henry needed the taxidermist to help spark his creativity again and help him get ideas for his writing he might pursue in the future. I’ve been trying to figure out why the taxidermist and Henry were supposed to meet, having really no explanation as to why. My thought was that both are trying to preserve the suffering the people in the Holocaust faced and the lives of the animals before they had been killed. I can’t wait to see the reasons the two Henry’s met and where the play they are writing goes.
Nathan Holm: I agree with you immensely. Immediately when meeting the taxidermist I wondered about him. The first time Henry (the main character) met him, he was very shy and gave terse answers back to him. I was confused because Henry (the taxidermist) wanted his help, but didn’t really seem to want to talk about it. When Henry asked for the letter on taxidermy, the other Henry wrote pages showing it was his passion. He explained how he would never kill an animal, but it is his job to preserve the life of those animals. Henry (the taxidermist) seems to have a weird connection with dead animals, especially the howler monkey and the donkey. On page 101, he explains why he chose the animals “Because monkeys are thought to be clever and nimble, and donkeys are thought to be stubborn and hard working. Those are characteristics animals need to survive.” I still don’t really understand the relevance of the play and what idea he is trying to get across.
Second comment
Henry Heiberger
I feel the reason Martel made the first half of the novel so vague and ambiguous is to keep the reader involved. The whole first half is filled with sections that give the reader questions—questions that will be answered in the second half of the book. Giving the reader questions also provides them the opportunity to create personal answers. Martel wanted the novel to be engaging and interesting to read.
Caitlynn Fletcher
The comparison between Henrys and them being parts of the flipbook, fiction and nonfiction, is intriguing. I feel Martel did put each Henry into these categories on purpose because it would help tie together the two characters. Both are named Henry for a reason and both are put into categories for a reason.
Second comment:
Quinn Gienapp...
You mention that you don't understand how the taxidermist can claim to be working on this project his entire life and yet have writer's block, accomplishing very little. While I understand your point and agree that the line contradicts itself, I also believe that sometimes, our lives have been dedicated to one project or purpose for its entirety even without our knowledge. In life, we will be challenged and tried in more ways than one, and my hope is that these difficulties are meant to prepare and better us for a greater cause. In all optimism, I believe that we are all "destined" to serve a purpose for the world and society, and while sometimes we make mistakes and fall short of it, the battles we experience in life are leading us to our greatest potential.
Jorey Sorenson...
I agree that I would love to learn more about where Henry the Taxidermist comes from. Clearly he is a peculiar character and I am hoping that Yann Martel can shed some light on why he is the way he is in the next 100 pages or so. Knowing someone's background story can allow us to have a full understanding on their actions, words, motivations, belief system, etc. and give readers the opportunity to develop sympathy or just general understanding of someone's character flaws.
Second Comment:
Ethan Wright: I too noticed how detailed Yann Martel was in his description of simple objects or other everyday settings. To me, the pear description stuck out to me because I have never thought about describing something so simple, like a pear, and go so in-depth with it. It made me think about trying to describe other fruit in such a way, but I don't think I have the ability to put that description into words. I was very interested in your connection between Martel and animals, specifically the tiger. When it comes down to it, I don't think anything Yann Martel writes is just a coincidence.
Eli Cheever: Your observation on how vague Martel actually is at times really stuck out to me. personally, I got so caught up in how long some of his descriptions are, that I got lost in quantity rather than quality. Your example on page 21 is definitely a good example of this. I wonder if this is an accident, or if Martel just thought this certain part of the novel was not as important so he moved on quickly. I especially hold that to be true due to the in-depth description of the pear, which must have a very important and symbolic role in the story.
2nd comment,
Very good observation Thomas! I also could not help but notice the similarities between Martel and Henry. I also was curious and looked up the part about Martel writing more books before Beatrice and Virgil. I also couldn't help how descriptive he was on page 65.
Ryan: I agree with you that there are many similarities between the main character Henry and Yann Martel. I think the reason he puts himself into his books to let the readers learn more about him which I fully enjoy. Also, I agree that it can get kind of confusing at times with both the characters being named Henry, I even mentioned it in my flipgrid if you would like to go check that out. At the same time, I do believe there is a reason for this and hopefully, Mr. Martel will enlighten us momentarily.
I happened to read through page 116 at the beginning of our break last week and the story is not completely fresh in my mind. What stood out to me the most and was most memorable was Henry as a character himself and the connections that the taxidermist was making in his play. The similarities that Yann Martel writes into Henry from his own life and experiences are really interesting to me. Instances such as discovering a new topic (taxidermy) and having major writer's block are probably all too familiar to Martel himself. The taxidermist specifically mentions Germany and Poland on page 106 when explaining that the characters live on a striped shirt. He also emphasizes the stripes and how they are to be visual during the performance.
My question is why the taxidermist has decided to use a donkey and a howler monkey? I am also very curious about the taxidermist's past and why he does what he does. Why animals in particular? He said he has been doing this since he was 16, but his symbolism in his play shows that he was maybe a victim of the Holocaust. I would just like to see his personal timeline of experiences.
Comment 1
While reading Yann Martel’s Beatrice and Virgil, one of the many things that I’ve noticed is that both of Henry’s need something from one another. Obviously, Henry, the taxidermist, needs help from Henry the writer in order to write his play and clearly express his words. However, Henry the writer continues to aid the taxidermist despite the fact that he clearly doesn’t gain very much from the taxidermist. On page 116 Henry starts to realize that the taxidermist's story reminds him of the Holocaust. Obviously, Henry’s previous book revolved around the holocaust but ended up failing miserably. It’s not completely evident what Henry the writer truly needs from the taxidermist at this point, but it would be safe to assume that Henry is drawn into the story and proceeds to help the taxidermist because it reminds him of his failed book.
Going off of the previous observation one of the biggest questions I have currently is why does Henry the writer continue to help the taxidermist? It could be curiosity that continues to draw him forward. But Henry the writer says that he is rude, strange, and overall he doesn’t gain anything from helping him. However, on page 87 Henry’s wife says that he seems excited to be working with the taxidermist.
1st comment
This week I have been reading Yann Martel's "Beatrice and Virgil". Often times, I've found myself totally sucked into the book, not able to put it down. One of the first things I observed as I was reading was how much the author, Yann Martel, and the main character Henry have in common. Henry is a Canadian author who wrote a wildly popular book that involved animals and changed peoples' lives. Martel, also a Canadian author, wrote "The Life of Pi", a popular book involving animals. The connection there is very evident. Another thing I noticed was how vividly Martel describes different settings in the book. When Henry was strolling around a park after having lunch with his agents (page 17-18) I liked the descriptions of the trees and pond—it felt very serene. Another descriptive section was when he first visited Okapi Taxidermy (starting on page 56). He went into great detail talking about the mounted animals. Then when Henry the taxidermist asked him to describe Virgil, he went into even deeper description. All of these details make it easy to picture what is going on in the novel, and make it much more enthralling and interesting.
One question I have about the book is why Henry the taxidermist won't let Henry read the whole play. It seems strange to me that he wants help, but won't let him read it. I'm sure this will be answered as I keep reading, though.
Second Comment:
Response to Madi Albertson - I also question why Henry the taxidermist asked Henry the main character to help him write his play. Your second question, I didn't even think about, like why there are such random things associated with this novel, and what Yann Martel is trying to do when he talks about all of them in such great detail.
Response to Ella Simonson - Your question about Henry the taxidermist has also crossed my mind, just him in general, there's a lot we don't know about him and I think there's a lot more that we will get to the learn as the book goes on. At the beginning of the story, he was sorta cold and not really wanting to share anything about himself, but once Henry the main character came to his shop and asked him about his job, he really started to open up and talk about himself a lot.
2nd Comment
Jamie Fick: I agree that it was strange when Henry couldn't find the words to describe the sound of a howler monkey. He almost seemed defensive about it. Also, I found your question about the letter interesting. If the taxidermist hadn't left his plea so open-ended and mysterious, would Henry been intrigued enough to follow up? That's a very interesting thought.
Emily Hensley: You have a great point with the exposition. I found myself bored with the first 20 or so pages of this book, but after that, it quickly picked up and I started to appreciate that opening information more. I was also wondering how much of himself did Martel put into this novel, I even mentioned it in my flipgrid yesterday. I picked up on the obvious correlating details, but was left wondering what else did Henry have in common with Martel.
First Comment:
While reading the book "Beatrice and Virgil" one thing that stood out to me was the connections to the Holocaust. At the beginning of the novel, Henry wants to write a flipbook about the Holocaust; however, his publishers thought that the book didn't have a true plot and the flipbook was counterproductive. Then Henry moves to a different city and meets a taxidermist that needs help writing a play. Though not officially stated, the play is coincidentally similar to the Holocaust. The main characters, Beatrice and Virgil, are on the run from danger and continue to talk about their struggles. I believe this is a reference to Jewish people running from the Nazi Regime during the mid-1900s. Beatrice and Virgil are outcasts in their world and constantly mention writing their "horrors." Also, the play's landscape is set on a striped t-shirt, similar to the striped t-shirts Jewish prisoners wore.
One question I have is about Henry and the taxidermist. Coincidentally, both are named Henry but I think Yann Martel is trying to allude to the fact that they are the same person or that they are a reflection of each other. So are the Henrys the same person? Or are they just supposed to mirror each other?
One of the observations that I made was the taxidermist was able to get Henry to write once again. After everything that Henry has gone trough after his second book is turned down, he found tons of things to do to fill his time instead of creative writing. Even tho he lowkey longed for it, he still found different activities like playing the clarinet and working at a store. Now, after meeting the taxidermist, Henry is starting to write again. The taxidermist asked Henry for help with his play. From there, Henry started writing about the characters to help the taxidermist. Here, he is using his creative writing skills again. On pages 81 and 82 Henry starts to go on about different descriptions he can come up with for Virgil. He is creatively thinking for the first time since his second novel. Overall, I noticed that while helping the taxidermist write his play, Henry is also helping rediscover his passion for writing. On page 80 Henry says that if he knew that the taxidermist wanted his help with creative descriptions, then Henry would have said no. Henry describes this event as a challenge that he has wanted to conquer.
One of the questions that I have is if the taxidermist wanted help, why is he so cold and unappreciative of the help that Henry is providing? On page 91 the taxidermist critiques Henry's help by stating the different parts of Henry's writing that he does not like. He has not said thank you for the assistance, and he is the one who asked for help. I feel as if there must be an underlying reason for this.
1st comment
This past week I started the book "Beatrice and Virgil" by Yann Martel. We have previously read one of Yann's other novels, so we are somewhat familiar with his style. One observation that I have made is that Yann is extremely skilled at describing events and objects through his writing. When describing the pear to Beatrice through Virgil. On pages 44-51, Virgil goes on detailing what a pear looks and tastes like in ways that I never would have thought of. He uses phrases like, "The flesh of a pear can be slightly gritty, yet it melts in the mouth." and others like "eating a pear is not like eating an apple. The apple resists being eaten. An apple is not eaten, it is conquered. The crunchiness of a pear is far more appealing. It is giving and fragile. To eat a pear is akin to kissing." Never would I have ever compared eating a pear to kissing, but Martel does a great job of it.
One question that I have is "why the taxidermist chose that profession?" Obviously, he enjoys the job, seeing as he has been doing it for 45 years even though it is a dying business. What about it is attractive to him? I feel like the answer to this question can reveal much about his dimly-lit personality.
Second Comment:
(Nathan Holm) I think your point made was very intriguing. The taxidermist is obviously a peculiar man with a mysterious past behind him and he isn't much for talking about irrelevant things. I'm not sure as to whether or not this has underlying importance but it is definitely something to be noted. I feel like its just a part of the taxidermist's personality but I think its interesting how he perks up so much when Henry asks about his "artwork."
(Payton Dejong) I agree that Henry is a representation of Yann Martel. Their similarities are uncanny and I believe this book is somewhat of an autobiography. I believe Yann Martel didn't want the egotistical benefits of writing an autobiography and wrote his story in another name. In my opinion, Martel wanted to share this story for others' benefit rather than his.
second comment
Kate
Before Henry first physically meets the taxidermist, we learn on page 52 that the taxidermist's name is also Henry. We have learned so much about the taxidermist's trade that as you said, we should know more about him personally. As of right now, the only true personal information we have about him is his name. The one thing that I still wonder tho, is what is the connection between Henry and the taxidermist sharing their name? I think there must be an unstated reason for this.
Theresa
I have the same questions that you do. Like you, I am also wondering why the taxidermist is the way he is. His mentioning of the striped shirt, the hunger of Beatrice and Virgil as stated by the taxidermist on page 109, and the loss of time all seem to point me in the direction of the Holocaust. I have not read any further than the page limit, but these things seem to stand out to me. As Henry mentions on page 115, the whole situation with the striped shirt reminds Henry of the holocaust. I am very intrigued to learn more about the taxidermist's past.
Comment 2
The first response that I have is for Payton DeJong who questioned why the man is writing the play. Based on page 116 we can deduce that the play the taxidermist is writing is actually an allegory for the holocaust. On page 65 we discover that the taxidermist is around his early 80’s. Assuming that this is set around our present time we can assume that he was probably alive during the holocaust which is why he could be writing the play. Finally on page 91-98, the taxidermist tells us why he decided to become a taxidermist. He compares himself to a historian bearing witness to the past. On page 96 he reveals an interesting bit of dialogue revealing some of his moties, “To ignore death is to ignore life”. This could be a reference to animals and humans alike. By writing this play he could be bearing witness to the past lives that were lost during the holocaust.
My second response is to Avery Myers who questions why the taxidermist refuses to meet at the zoo. As of page 116 we can deduce that this play is actually an allegory for the holocaust. In the answer above this I explained how the taxidermist definitely could’ve been alive during the holocaust and therefore could have deeply affected him. This could be a motivation for why he is writing the play. I believe that part of the reason that he refuses to go to the zoo is because it reminds him of the holocaust. We know during the holocaust people were treated like animals. For example being transported in train cars and being locked away in concentration camps. Perhaps the animals in the zoo remind him of the people in the holocaust who were imprisoned.
2nd comment
Mason M - I totally agreed when you said that Henry has the need to connect animals to people in real life. He does a really good job of describing the dead animals to the taxidermist. Not only did he describe their physical traits, but he described some of their mannerisms and tendencies as well. As well as Mason, I too found that the concept of the flipbook was fascinating as I described it in my flipgrid as well. It is a cool idea and I like how it can be viewed in many different ways, and how it differs than almost all other conventional books.
Hunter M - I really enjoyed reading Hunter's observations, I have never thought about the differences between a book with or without chapters. But I think without chapters, there are no stopping points, there are no "good places to stop" and the book flows much better. I would almost like that more than a regular book with chapters. Also, I think the play about Julian that detailed him murdering makes a lot more sense now that we have met the taxidermist. Seeing as that his profession involves him mutilating and manipulating animals.
First Comment:
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reading and analyzing the novel Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. While reading the book, I have made many observations. One of the first observations I made was I noticed Martel emerging himself as Henry, the author in the book. The first line of the novel, “Henry’s second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well” made me realize it. For example, they are both authors who got famous off of one book and that is what they are known for. I think Martel is telling the readers a little bit about himself through Henry. I believe that Martel will continue to emerge himself through Henry as the book continues. The next thing I noticed was the amount of detail Martel put into this book. He describes objects and places in so much detail that I can perfectly picture what is happening in my head. The part that stuck out to me the most with the most detail was when Virgil was describing a pear to Beatrice for many pages in the book. My favorite part of the book so far is when Henry is describing the taxidermist’s shop. He described everything from the facial expressions to all the animals in the shop.
After reading to page 116, the main questions I have are about the taxidermist. To me, he seems like a very confusing and mysterious person because we never learn any personal information about him. At first, I thought Martel didn’t give the taxidermist a name but after looking back in the book for this blog post, I found he actually did mention that the taxidermist’s name is Henry as well. That makes me wonder why Martel decided to give them both the same name. Another thing I am wondering is why did the taxidermist decide to go into a job that involved killing animals when he would regret it later on?
Second Comment:
Brooke G - I also agree that Yann Martel uses a great amount of detail and description in his writing. For me, the description he uses allows me to perfectly picture what is happening in the novel, in my head. I also agree with you when you say that we don’t know a lot of information about the taxidermist. I am curious to see what else we will learn about him throughout the book.
Tanna L - I was also wondering why Yann Martel decided to give both the taxidermist and Henry the same name. Through reading both Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil, I have found that Martel puts meaning behind everything so, I think there must be a meaning behind giving them both the same name. I also agree that Martel is emerging himself in the book as Henry and that he will continue to emerge himself more as the book goes on.
After reading Yann Martel's novel, Beatrice and Virgil, I noticed that the book is set up more like a play, rather than a book. The author writes in a very dramatic way and he also uses no chapters. I think the lack of chapters makes the book easier to read, reading and reading for hours seems like less because it isn't sectioned off by chapters. In Life of Pi, even the chapters had a meaning (whether it was the number or italicized parts from the author's perspective) but this book lacks the same structure. The way that the two animals, Beatrice and Virgil, talk back and forth to one another beginning on page 44, also resembles a play script.
The most interesting parts of the book revolve around taxidermy. I think the way that Henry talks about his work and also the way he describes the animals is intriguing. I have never thought of taxidermy as a way to preserve an animal's life and to make their lives immoral. Relating to animals, I was questioning the role of the monkey and donkey and why those two animals were chosen. In the book, he says why he chooses them and highlights their differences. I understand that the two are opposite in behavior and characteristics but I don't understand what their part is in the book.
Due to Yann Martel being such a profound author, many observations can be made because of the descriptive imagery and symbolism he provides in each of his novels. One of the biggest observations I made in Beatrice & Virgil, is his use of symbolism through animals. This can also be seen in Life of Pi as Martel uses animals to represent trauma and suffering. In Beatrice and Virgil, the money and donkey clearly display an immense amount of suffering and struggle. The taxidermist says Virgil has a howl of pain, “...powerful, harsh, and insufferable” (77). So far, Martel has yet to touch on Beatrice’s suffering; however, he describes both his characters to be starving. The taxidermist pictures his play to have a theatre surrounded by blue and grey stripes with a landscape that projects them (111). Martel makes it very clear that the play is indeed a reference to the Holocaust as Beatrice and Virgil both signify the Jews. Despite the consistent hints, the taxidermist consistently refuses to listen to Henry’s comments about his play relating to the Holocaust. The taxidermist is quite a dull and emotionless character, perhaps he has his own views and opinions regarding the Holocaust––yet does not admit anything to Henry.
This observation makes me question a lot of events that have happened so far in the novel. What is the true purpose of the play and how does the Holocaust relate to it? The entire play screams the Holocaust, yet the taxidermist has yet to admit anything in the relation between the two. What is Martel’s purpose in doing this?
First Comment:
One of the most intriguing observations that stuck out to me was how Yann Martel chose to use two Henry's in the novel. I feel most authors in fictional books choose different names for each character to help cause less confusion while Yann Martel chose to use two of the same names to create a hidden symbolic meaning. Both Henry's play the biggest role in the book as the author goes to the taxidermist to help form the play. They both represent one person as they bounce ideas off one another with one goal of creating a symbolic play as they relate to each other throughout the book. A quote on the first page shows the foreshadowing of the two main characters meeting later on in the book Yann Martel writes ""The meeting had an intimate quality; two strangers were coming together, but to discuss an external matter, a faith object that had moved them both, so all barriers fell." Representing the importance of the two Henry's meeting each other to create the play.
One question I had while reading to page 116 was whats the true meaning that the taxidermist chose to use a howler monkey and a zebra in the play? I was wondering if he chose them as some type of personal meaning that he has had through his past that I will learn about as I read further or if it is a symbolic meaning representing something that happened during the holocaust.
Second Comment:
Jared Vanderbush-
I agree that a lot of questions circle around the taxidermist and what he represents in the book. The author provides little information about him and I think that throughout the book there will be more revealed throughout symbols and allegories. I think the similarity to Yann Martel and Henry is interesting, and I wonder if Henry and Henry the taxidermist will show any similarities because of their names.
Brett VanOort-
You bring up an interesting point when you question why Henry wants to work with the taxidermist. I think that Henry would have to be very curious about his work and his shop, along with the play he is writing. Although the taxidermist does come off as very rude and strange, I think that there is a deeper meaning behind his work and who he is.
Grant G.- After reading your first comment, you have answered some of the questions I seemed to have about the motives of the taxidermist. I had enjoyed reading the first part of this book so much that I seemed to wiz through it without taking it all in—reading it for pleasure and not study it seems. Your observations were very helpful to me understanding a little better as they usually do during our forums in class. Your questions on the names of Beatrice and Virgil have also piqued my interest and I will continue to take it into consideration while reading the second half of the novel. I miss being able to converse on our book topics during various times of the day and hope you are doing well.
Brett V.- I think he enjoys helping Henry write so much because it is a much needed different outlook to writing. Writing about the howler monkey's cry was for the taxidermist to use and not for Henry himself to incorporate into his own work somehow. Henry wrote it from Beatrice's point of view as well. This new creative style for the play is also probably interesting for Henry considering what kind of person the taxidermist is and what Henry's previous work resembled. I also like that you took what was happening and saw it as a mutual helping of each other in different ways.
Second Comment:
Eli Cheever-
Throughout reading the book I believe Yann Martel did put the names both as Henry on purpose to represent something symbolic. I feel that he did this to represent the two coming together meeting as strangers acting as one in order to create their meaningful play. The taxidermist Henry chooses the animals of the howler monkey and zebra while the author forms the ideas and compiles them forming one play.
Hunter Marso-
From reading the book I too realized that there were not any good points to stop on and Hunter made me think about why the author chose to do this. I feel like the author did this with the intent of making a one sit read. With Yann Martel doing this it makes it easier for the reader to connect the dots of symbolism he places in the book while the reader has less time forget what happened in the previous pages. Forming more thoughts in the reader's mind to think about when they put the book down.
Sophie––
I found your question regarding Martel choosing a howler monkey and donkey very puzzling as well. To me, both animals often times have a negative connotation in relation to humans. A donkey is also known as an "ass" and a common saying is to "quit monkeying around" or to just stop being a fool. This could be a far-fetched idea, but if Beatrice and Virgil were to represent the Jews, perhaps this is why he chose such animals––this would also reveal the taxidermist's views on the Holocaust.
Emily Muhs––
I had many similar observations as you. Martel truly does set the bar high when it comes to using literary devices. I also noticed Henry's interest in the price of the three tigers, I thought this was a huge reference to Life of Pi as well––this was my favorite part in the novel. I do not think I have ever read novels from an author that have referenced their other works like Martel does.
FIRST COMMENT:
I have made many observations while reading Beatrice and Virgil. One observation that grasps me the most is that Yann Martel uses two characters with the same name. We meet two characters both with the name Henry. One Henry is a taxidermist and the other is a writer. Henry, the taxidermist, primarily focuses on a Beatrice, a donkey, and Virgil, a monkey. Henry, the writer, comes to Henry in hopes of receiving help forming his playwright. I believe Martel uses the same name for both characters in the same way as he used Mr. and Mr. Kumar in Life of Pi. By having both characters possess the same name, the reader can see the symbolism in how they are both alike and almost the same. This first relation of personality is shown on pages 69-70 stating, "At that moment, listening to his ton of voice and observing the set of his face, Henry got a clue about the man, an insight into his personality: he had no sense of humour, no cheerfulness. He was as serious and sober as a microscope. Henry's nervousness left him. That would be how he would deal with the man: he would stay on his solemn level."
One question I had while reading is what is the meaning behind having a monkey and donkey as the animals? Was there a specific meaning or symbolism behind them to Martel? I feel as if there has to be some sort of symbolism or importance. Maybe reading further into the book and diving past page 116 will bring my answer.
First Comment:
One of the main things that have stood out to me in the book, "Beatrice and Virgil", by Yann Martel, is the similarities between the author and Henry. After reading Yann Martel's work in "Life of Pi" and now part of "Beatrice and Virgil", I have been able to make the connection between the two. Martel seems to indulge himself in his work and really places himself into that main character position. Both books are written so that the reader can see what the main characters are thinking, and those characters tend to be the prime focus of the story. The connection between Martel and his characters is obvious in "Beatrice and Virgil", as Henry is an author. Martel describes in such detail how Henry reached success, only to be turned down for what he thought was his best work. The emotion that Martel describes seems very personal. You can see how attacked Henry felt on page 17 when he thought, "That was the whole meal... over-refined food to the dismemberment of his book, Henry quibbling and squabbling." He describes his book being dismembered, and to me, that would seem an insult that an author would carry around for years. You can also see his thought process when he receives the big letter in the mail containing the plays (from Henry), starting on page 31. In my opinion, putting what Henry thinks and is connecting while reading the plays is a brilliant addition. It not only gives the reader a chance to see into his mind but also a way to help them understand the motives. Martel puts his emotions into his characters, making everything they go through feel that much real. It's not just a character with certain characteristics, it's a person with real emotions that the reader can connect with.
In terms of difficulty, I find this book to be an easy read, so there is not a lot of complexity behind the meanings of it. However, I am finding some questions that have not been answered. The main thing that has been bothering me is: Where did they move too? I know they talked about moving to a city, but he never clarifies which one they decided on. "Perhaps to New York. Perhaps to Paris. Perhaps to Berlin" (pg 21). The book always refers to Henry and his wife living in the city. Another thing that I have questioned is: Why are there no chapters? I like organization, and the lack of chapters sometimes makes is hard to find a clear stopping point that will be easy to pick up when you put the book down. I only have one idea of what it means, and that's from looking at a few of the comments. Some have suggested that there are no chapters so that the book resembles a play, which is what the title of the novel is based on. I am also confused as to why Martel would name two important characters Henry because it made me very confused while reading. I am not sure of any significance of this and do not understand why he couldn't have picked any other name.
SECOND COMMENT:
Brett V. -
I think that Henry continues to work with the taxidermist because it feels good to originally have someone interested in his work again. After leaving writing, it feels good and exciting for Henry to have someone reach out to him asking for advice. However, as the book goes on, I think Henry and the taxidermist create a relationship with each other. I think Henry begins to see parts of himself in the taxidermist and clings to that. On page 86 it shows Henry's growing interest towards the taxidermist and how a bond is beginning to form stating, "' I met the most amazing man,' he told her. 'This old taxidermist. A shop like you wouldn't believe. All of creation stuffed into one large room. His name's Henry, as it happens.'" I think this quote shows how Henry is excited about this newfound experience and friend when speaking with his wife.
Theresa A.-
I had similar questions to you. I think that Henry uses animals as a way of expressing both himself and his past. I think this is also why he wants to write a playwright. To me, it seems as if Henry deals with PTSD from his past and looks for ways to help express these feelings. Henry seems to be dealing with some battles within that come to resemble outwards through objects. This could also be a situation like Life of Pi where the animals resemble people from situations in Henry's past.
One observation of "Beatrice and Virgil" that I have is about the atmosphere of the story. The start of the story is shifting in emotion and influential when reading and understanding the main character, the writer. However, you keep this mood throughout the story, he gets a job at a coffee bar, goes to theatrical practice, and finds time to take care of himself and his family instead of his story. The one thing that creates a difference is when he meets the taxidermist. When he meets him the atmosphere of the story creates a more serious but yet inquisitive intention. As the interaction between the two continues, you can tell that the writer is trying to read the taxidermist. While trying to read his emotions he is completely annoyed at points but yet it draws him in. The atmosphere at this point is still inquisitive and serious. When the man offers the piece of information about the shirt being stripped the writer connects this with the holocaust, which it seems, to be one of his obsessions. I feel this will become one of the prominent features that will create a bond between the taxidermist and the writer. The taxidermist being, at least, in his late 60's states on page 115: "Reality escapes us. It's beyond description, even a simple pear. Time eats everything." The question I have is what has given this unfathomable wisdom to this old man, has it been life itself? Or possibly he has been through something gruesome. Whatever it is it continues to intrigue me, whenever he alienates himself from the story he offers another part of concise wisdom. His assignment from the writer intrigued me completely because he was able to completely articulate his craft without a whim of deviation or nervousness. I think this man has a lot of interesting lessons to offer, I'm just curious about where these lessons come from.
After getting into the book, I realized that Yann and Henry have a lot in common. They are both authors, and they both have had books that didn't fall through. Henry had a flipbook that ended up being a flop, and Yann had a novel that ended up being unsuccessful. Even though Life of Pi is fiction you could also argue that Henry (taxidermist) getting Henry to write again is the same as Pi getting Yann to record his story. There are other similarities between these two as well. However, it seems as though Yann is portraying himself through Henry in small ways. Instead of being a direct character in the book, I believe he definitely has a presence through Henry (goes along with the first blog post).
I didn't have a specific question but after reading a few comments I did notice something. There is a lot of imagery in the book. For example, a couple people used the description of the pear. A pear is a very insignificant food to some people; many might not even like pears. Compared to a very chaotic event, you would say that describing a pear shouldn't have so much imagery. Furthermore, there is very little (vague) detail about other things that someone would deem as important. My question is, why is the author explaining items/occurrences that seem to have such little value, over the items/occurrences that people think should hold more value?
To answer my own question, this has something to do with symbolism and significance throughout the novel. If I am writing a story, a car crash might be devastating and important; however, if that event doesn't propel my story, I won't describe it much. Furthermore, a single grape that someone drops on the floor might symbolize a theme in what I am writing, regardless of the intensity of the matter.
Eli- I agree with the confusion in naming the two characters the same thing. So far it seems irrelevant and pointless. Unless there is some impactful reason that will help align the two characters by name later in the book I do not quite understand the concept yet. It may present its meaning to us later in the story, but until then we can criticize and wait.
Calista- I think the taxidermist is cautious of reading his play because it may intrude on his personal experiences. I think this play is sentimental for the taxidermist and it will stay that way. He has been creating and editing this play for his whole life, or that's what he says anyway. I think this play is something that he uses to find emotion because he lacks it within the real world. I think he wants to express his feelings and thoughts through this play.
Second Comment:
Taylor Cline– I like the similarity you found between the two authors becoming famous or more well-known due to one successful book. Like you, I found lots of connections between Yann Martel and Henry. Also, you brought up the good point of the amount of detail Martel puts into his work. He likes to paint a picture with words, so the reader can place themselves into the book.
Brooke Bishop-Lafrentz– Similar to Taylor and I, you brought up the similarities between Yann Martel and Henry. I really liked your observation about the two having a unique writing style compared to other authors. I also liked how you used your religious lens to connect both of Martel's work in Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil. Your question about the pear was also something I was curious about because I am confused as to why Martel chose a pear. I do not know if it has any significance, or if he chose it for its unique and funny shape.
I think that Beatrice and Virgil is proving to be a very interesting book. I think one thing that stood out to me was the use of using Henry the Taxidermist as a foil for Henry the Author. Evidence to support this is on pages 65-67. These pages talk about Henry the Taxidermist's personality. He comes off initially as rather cold where Henry the Author is a relatively charismatic person. Even the Taxidermy building can show the difference between the two characters. Henry the Taxidermist is interested in stuffing DEAD animals whereas Henry the Author wants to live life to the fullest. So much so he decides against being an author and completely changes his lifestyle from the simplest activities to where he lives. The author's point of view is also another difference between them. Henry the Taxidermist wants help to write his play where Henry the Author wants nothing to do with writing again. One question I have is why the play is based on a talking Monkey and Donkey that are, in real life, dead animals?
Jorey pointed out a very interesting point. I didn't notice the description of Henry the Taxidermist at first but now it makes a lot more sense. I can see him being a jew just because his profession is one that deals with death. His age also shows that he lived in the right time period to be a Jew. It is very interesting and I think that Henry the Author will definitely get to know Henry the Taxidermist more as we continue to analyze Beatrice and Virgil and realize the background that Henry the Taxidermist comes from.
Ethan Wright also pointed out something interesting. This could also tie into our last blog task in how Martel mentions Life of Pi in Beatrice and Virgil. It is very interesting that he does bring in all the detail in Beatrice and Virgil. I think Yann Martel does this to help the reader become more involved with the book and be living in the shoes of each of the two most important characters so far, Henry the Taxidermist and Henry the Author. An example of detail shown is also when Martel mentions how the animals are placed starting on page 62. It mentions how the birds are suspended from the ceiling as they should but then you continue reading and you can pick up one or two examples of animals that may be out of place like one or two birds on the ground versus the ceiling. The detail adds an interesting perspective for the reader and is definitely adds a different perspective for the reader.
Response to Quinn...
This response is very unrelated to literature; however, I feel like it is very applicable.
Even if this wasn't the case with Henry, there are many different ways that you can work on something for so long and get so little done. Just take homework for example. Because of the time we are currently living in, I am able to start my schoolwork whenever I want to. However, it takes me longer because of the increased distraction, noises, and lack of a routine. I work on something for 2-3 hours, and I am still not done with it. On the other end of town Sally (theoretically) might have everything done that I still have yet to do. There are many distractions or situations that can hinder you from doing what you need to do, or making it harder for you to complete the task. Therefore, I believe, that it is possible to do something your whole life but still have very little done.
Response to Michael...
I definitely agree with your assumption. I think that maybe he was so vague with the city was because he was trying to show that bad things can happen anywhere. Like you had said, you would be a Nazi too if you were in that situation. I think that not showing the city name reiterates that statement. I also think that there are other instances where the description is vague, that could be traced back to that idea.
Over the past few days, I have been reading Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. While at first, I did not like it, as I continued reading, the pages began turning themselves. As the pages continued to turn, I observed many things in the book. One of the main observations that I have had, is that Martel puts himself into the book. As an author, he has done this in both the books that I have read by him. In Life of Pi, it was more obvious, as the chapters went back and forth between the author and the story. While not as obvious in Beatrice and Virgil, Yann puts himself in this book as well. In Beatrice and Virgil, Yann Martel is Henry the writer. I really enjoy Martel putting himself into his books like this because it allows the reader to get to know him as an author. I also have many questions that I have acquired while reading. Why does Henry the writer and Henry the taxidermist have the same name? This has really got me thinking about why Yann would do this. Are Henry the writer and Henry the taxidermist the same person? Maybe, Henry the writer has imagined Henry the taxidermist up in order to help himself with his own writing endeavors. As I continue to read, I hope that both this question and the other questions that I have will be answered.
Second Comment:
Thomas Scholten: In regards to your first question, I think it might help to take another look at pages 91 through 98 when he speaks about taxidermy. He is sad that the lives of these animals are lost, but he sees to it that their lives are "preserved" in a sense. The animals he works with have lost their physical lives but he feels as though he is keeping something about them still alive.
Madi Albertson: I think that Henry (the taxidermist) chose Henry (the author) to help him with his novel because he has such skill when it comes to descriptions. It seems as though the play needed the most help in regards to describing all the details it includes. Along with this, he also has written a novel that revolved around animals. He has experience in the category the taxidermist lacks.
Yann Martel’s writing style has roped me in for both of his books. His descriptiveness and eccentric word choice make the reading easier for me. His explanation of the taxidermy shop and the animals within it, in particular, was fascinating. Another thing I found interesting was the inclusion of having the taxidermist’s address number be 1933. After looking the year up, I learned that this was the year Hitler took his place as dictator. I’m not entirely sure if this was the point of the number, but it piqued my interest either way.
In general, I’d like to know more about the taxidermist. As such a reserved and stoic man, we haven’t yet learned much about him other than his occupation and that he is an aspiring playwright. The letter he had sent to Henry intrigued me. I'm curious about the significance of his inclusion of the story of Saint Julian Hospitator. He says that he has been practicing taxidermy since he was 16 but the story leads me to believe that he may have been a Holocaust victim. All in all, I’m just excited to see where the story goes as the reading progresses!
First Comment -
I really enjoy how Martel implements himself into the story. Even from the first page, you can tell similarities between Martel and the main character, Henry. One thing that relates them to one another is how Martel talks about how the main character was a struggling author. Martel at one point struggled and then found his way to write many great books that won many different awards. He also includes how Henry moved around from country to country as a young boy. Martel did the same. Throughout the book, Martel writes very descriptively. One of the most descriptive parts is when he meets the taxidermist and is looking at all the animals. This occurs around page 65.
One specific question I have would be why doesn't Martel just clearly state where Henry is moving too at the beginning of the book. On page 21 he gives destinations that he could possibly move to but never clearly states it. Could Martel have included this because many of the holocaust victims had no idea where they were going to end up? This could be a longshot but could it be possible.
FIRST COMMENT:
This week I started to read the book "Beatrice and Virgil" by Yann Martel. At first, I was not a fan of the book. I thought that it had a slow beginning and that I would not enjoy it at all. One day I sad down and read as much as I could and I found that it picked up pretty quick. I started to find the story and characters more intriguing and mysterious, making me want to read more. I especially like the taxidermist as a character. I feel as though his character may develop and turn out to be something meaningful. While reading I noticed that there are no chapters and at first I found this odd, but later I learned to appreciate it because I found that it makes the story flow much better. It made reading more enjoyable without the stops. Another important note that I'm sure everyone has pointed out already is the similarities between Henry and Pi, from "Life of Pi" another one of Yann Martel's works. I am excited to see what other similarities these characters have in the rest of the book.
Questions:
I have many questions about the taxidermist. I find this character mysterious in some ways. As stated before, I wonder what this character will turn into, I feel as though there more to learn about. Some questions I have about the taxidermist are...What is his life story? Why is his work (writing plays) so vibrant and interesting contrast him as a person, dull and lifeless almost?
1st comment
The use of literary devices is quite prevalent in Beatrice and Virgil. Most commonly Yann Martel uses imagery, similes, and metaphors. One example of a metaphor is when Henry is interrupted by his teacher while playing Mozart on page 21. His teacher says, "You've turned Mozart into a heavy, black ox and you're ploughing the field with him." Then a few sentences later his teacher's plating is described as "an aural version of Marc Chagall, with goats, brides, grooms and houses swirling about in a multicolored sky, a world without gravity. Martel also uses personification frequently. For example on page 22, when the teacher stops playing is "the sudden emptiness in the room nearly sucked henry forward." This music section ends using a simile with the teacher smiling and closing his eyes nodding "as if Henry's ox had taken flight." My biggest and most prevalent question is why does he pick those Mozart and Mendelssohn classical composers out of a long list to use? I think he chose Mozart because of the easily identifiable style but why did he choose Mendelssohn instead of another classical composer such as Brahms? Another question I have also deals with music. What is Martel’s music background? Yes, many authors do research when they don’t know enough about a subject, but the way he writes about music suggests that he has some sort of musical background. Is he a musician (if so vocal, instrumental, both?), a composer, or a combination of both? Or is he someone who just listens so much to music and music-related stations that he can easily identify and talk about music throughly? It seems as though nowadays that most composers are also musicians, with a few exceptions such as John Mackey who has no idea how to play any instrument so my guess would be that he would either be a combination, or just a musician. Another question I have pertains to the details that are conveniently left out of the book. Why would Martel, typically such a detailed writer leave out details just giving a vague idea? Despite listing animals in the shop and vividly describing them he fails to give us a better idea of how much they are worth other than just saying that they are expensive. Another example of detail left out would be the name of the city Henry and his wife moved to. Even in fiction cities are still given names. Did he leave out the name to save himself from including more detail about the city or for other reasons? The details that many view as trivial and are left out are driving me insane (more so than my siblings are right now). Why are readers left in the dark about such details?
2nd Comment
Different Period: Liz K.
Fantastic connection. I completely missed that connection as I read. If you asked me I would tell you the numbers for how long the feast lasted and how many children the women had but yet I still did not make the connection until I read your comment about the fable that begins on page 32. Do you believe Martel doesn't put the numbers out of order to force the reader to read more deeply to see the connection or do you just think that he put the out of order to make the story flow better? I feel, considering all the connections we see early on in the book that Martel purposely puts them out of order. Early on it is established that Martel and Henry have striking similarities. And because we have read Life of Pi we know how Martel is inclined to put hidden meanings into his books. An example from Life of Pi would be the list of items compiled that totals up to 314.
Same Period: Ethan W.
It is impressive that Martel describes a pear for 8 pages. It ends on the top of page 52, not page 51 which makes it 8 pages describing the pear. He starts off with describing the shape of the pear. From there on he continues to describe a pear’s attributes. In the order the book mentions those qualities, you have size (comparing it with an apple and a banana), color, skin texture, smell, flesh texture, and finally taste. It is quite remarkable how he continues to describe yet he falls back and adds to descriptions he has already created, such as adding the fact that a pear sort of looks like a gourd. Personally, I find it harder to describe an inanimate object than a living one so I was more impressed with the pear description than when Martel describes the taxidermy shop. Your question about Henry the taxidermist and wondering if he is a future self of Henry the author has also been the forefront in my mind. The exception being that I just see Henry the taxidermist and Henry the author in the same way people see Pi and Richard Parker. Two separate entities for one being.
Second Comment -
Mike: I had the same question. I do agree with you that he could have the intention of trying to state where the holocaust was at. My thought is that he could have possibly included it in the story to show maybe the uncertainty of the holocaust victims. They had no idea where they were eventually going to end up or even survive. I could be wrong but that is why I thought Martel would have included that.
Cade: I agree that Martel and Henry are similar and could possibly even be the same person. There are many similarities between the two. One of the main similarities could be found on and around page 25. This being that each of the authors loved to read and respond to fan letters.
Kate - I also observed how descriptive Yann Martel is. This is one of the many things that I enjoy about him as an author. While I am reading his writing, I feel like I am there. I can vividly imagine his descriptions in my head, and I love it. When he first described the taxidermy shop, I felt as if I was watching a movie.
Alyssa - I was questioning the same thing. Why has the relationship between the play and the Holocaust not yet been told? Maybe there is a reason that Martel is waiting to let the reader know the significance between the two. Perhaps he is doing this to give the reader suspense in a way. I am truly unsure why he does this. As I have been enjoying this book so far, I am hoping that all the questions that I have had so far, will be answered as I continue reading Beatrice and Virgil.
Luke- I completely agree about the atmosphere change that occurs when Henry meets the taxidermist! It’s almost like the taxidermist brings such a heavy presence upon Henry that the entire tone of the story shifts. There seems to be a lot of signs pointing to the fact that the taxidermist was in one way or another impacted by the Holocaust. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the event that gave him the wisdom he now possesses. His character is a mystery as of now, but soon I hope we are able to see into his life a bit more!
Theresa- Having Martel present bits and pieces of his own life through a character in this novel has been something that I have found to be really interesting as well. I personally feel like It almost makes you able to connect to Henry’s character a bit more as he has very real-life problems that he faces. Having the main characters of the taxidermist’s play be a howler monkey and donkey seems like quite the intentional move on Martel’s/the taxidermist’s part, but I’m quite unsure as to why they did it! It’s something that I wondered about as well and hope is answered by the end of the novel. The taxidermist is quite the cryptic character for now so seeing his personal timeline of experiences would be something that I expect we’ll get as the story continues.
SECOND COMMENT:
Madi Albertson–
I too noticed how Martel implements himself into his characters in both of his works, Beatrice and Virgil along with Life of Pi. I have picked up the creativeness that Martel puts into his works. So far this book seems to be a perfect reflection of Yann's life and I am excited to see more similarities the farther we get into the book.
Dayne Peyton–
I also noticed how descriptive Martel is in his works. Page 65 is a great example of that, as you said. I am not the biggest fan of reading books, but I have enjoyed reading both of Yann Martel's works in class this semester. These two books stuck out to me only because of how descriptive and detailed he is. While reading the book, the detail is so great that I can exactly picture the image or scene he is describing.
First Comment:
While reading Martel’s Beatrice and Virgil, my mind has been spiraling, trying to understand the story and make predictions on what is to come. I have been examining the taxidermist's character, noticing his shy, cold nature. While he reads his play to Henry I observed how he alludes to having connections to the holocaust in his play, which Henry does eventually come to notice as well as he mentions on page 116. On page 106, he mentions Germany, Poland, and Hungary as three countries that came to his mind, along with the shirt (the setting) having vertical stripes. I believe that the story will go further into this theme as we learn more about the taxidermist and his play.
There have also been many questions I have been pondering while reading this novel. As I search for themes, symbols, and attempt to look at the book through a lens, I notice objects that I have come to question. First, I wonder why the taxidermist truly needs Henry’s help, I feel there is a deeper reason than to just help him write his play. Martel does a fine job of creating the taxidermist's character and description to his shop, which I believe is another part of the story we have yet to find out. Another question would be if there is any meaning to the name Henry since it is both the taxidermist’s and the main character’s name. There are obviously many different options Martel could have used to name the main characters, yet he chooses Henry for both of them.
During my final year of high school, I was given the opportunity to read "Beatrice and Virgil" a wonderful piece of literature by the author of "Life of Pi", Yann Martel. While reading through page 116 I made many observations, the first and more frontmost is how Yann Martel shows himself through the character Henry. It seems though as when Henry is talking about his masterpiece of a book, that is more of Yann Martel talking about the book "Life of Pi". The amount of detail throughout the book is on par with the amount present in "Life of Pi" as well. For example, Yann Martel takes 7 pages, 44-51, to describe a pear, and now I don't think I could ever look at one the same. At this point in time, I had finished the book but before then the little amount that you truly know about the Taxidermist's play and the true meaning/contents of it are as enthralling as a boy and his tiger.
My biggest question that persisted throughout the book was the taxidermist and everything surrounding him, his stubbornness mostly but also the way he views his job. He cares immensely about the backgrounds of these animals that will ultimately end up being stuffed like a stuffed animal. The reason why the taxidermist also needed Henry's help is also. very perplexing.
FIRST COMMENT
Throughout reading the novel by Yann Martel, Beatrice and Virgil, I notice a lot of similarities between this book (B&V) and Life of Pi. Starting with mammals, both books have key importance in including the animal kingdom. The animals are alive in Life of Pi, while most (if not almost all) are dead in Beatrice and Virgil; in Henry the Taxidermist's words: "All the animals are alive—it's time that stopped" (Martel 66). In my personal opinion, this line has a hidden attachment to a biblical stance of Christianity with Noah's Ark and how the world ended by becoming flooded and having the animals on the Ark survive. The Ark is a resemblance of life, like how the taxidermied animals in Okapi Taxidermy are still in positions of movement and life—even though they are in fact, not living.
My one big question about this read so far is the use of a shirt as the plot on page 106. Henry the Taxidermist explains saying "Shirts are found in every country, among every people" (106). In this, I understand how this plot is for everyone, in every country; however, I am having trouble trying to understand how the characters move on this landscape. I am also confused on how this will be portrayed as a play to the people.
Reaction/Response to Mason Matthies:
I'm glad to see I am not the only one who noticed the clear connection between Henry the Author and Yann Martel when it comes to the success of a single novel. I also found it perplexing and questioned why on page 71 the prices of items in the taxidermist shop were left out and why Yann martel continues to leave out what some could call important details yet take 7 pages to describe a pear.
Reaction/Response to Lucas Johnson:
Having both the main character and the taxidermist named Henry must have a deeper meaning, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was meant to just throw you off from the true meaning of the two's connections. The taxidermist refusing to let Henry, the author, see the play was also very perplexing and made me think for a while about the true meaning of the play.
First Comment:
Throughout reading Beatrice and Virgil, the most interesting observation I have made is the imagery Martel uses when first introducing the reader to the Taxidermist. Up to this point, I hadn't really seen any connections with this book to the Holocaust. However, as Martel describes the different animals between pages 62 and 63, it's hard not to relate his descriptions of how the animals do not fit together, yet they coexist. This reminds me of those in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Martel's use of dialogue between Henry and the Taxidermist is also very interesting. It seems as though everything the Taxidermist says has meaning, yet I cannot quite place what it is. Finally, on page 56 in the description of the okapi outside the taxidermist's shop, Martel's descriptions of how the okapi doesn't fit in it's surroundings seems to me like a projection of how Henry feels onto the okapi. In the new city, although he looks happy, I wonder if it is not his projections that he feels stuck in one place, causing his writer's block.
The question I have so far about Beatrice and Virgil is whether the Henry and the Taxidermist (interestingly also named Henry) are one in the same person? After reading the pear scene between Beatrice and Virgil, Henry reads the signature of the author. Coincidentally on page 52, Martel mentions the author's name is Henry and the signature's surname is illegible. Because Henry was so reluctant to open this package, I am curious to know if this is a sealed version of his own work, and if Henry had written the letter to his future self.
SECOND COMMENT:
Hannah Sorensen: I totally agree with how you quoted Henry saying that "A tingle of excitement went down him" (Martel 64). I believe this to be true for bringing excitement and encouragement back to Henry to start writing again. With this new adventure of a new and unfamiliar shop and the story of the owner, Henry comes back quickly to help Henry the Taxidermist with his story. Although this excitement was something new to Henry, he stated "Inexplicably, Henry was feeling nervous" (64). With his energy to help Henry the Taxidermist, Henry still felt uncomfortable with how emotionless Henry the Taxidermist was to him and his comments.
Taylor Cline: I also noticed how much description Martel is using in Beatrice and Virgil compared to Life of Pi. The way he writes on and on about the taxidermy shop, describing and detailing every single animal in the shop—from their stance to their expressions on their dead faces—really shows how much he wants the readers to see and understand. I also noticed right away at the beginning that the narrator, Henry, is indeed Yann Martel himself.
Second Comment:
Alexis Bannwarth- It's really interesting that you think Yann Martel is Henry, as that thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Now that you mention it, though, it makes sense that he would project himself into the book like he did in Life of Pi. There are definitely many similarities between Henry and Martel, so I wouldn't argue that Henry would be based on Martel's own experiences. Is the beginning of the book a way for Martel to tell the reader he hadn't known how to write after Life of Pi, as he describes Henry's troubles with his second book in pages 5-10?
Kira Van Roekel- I had no idea 1933 was the year Hitler became dictator. The way Martel includes small details through numbers is astounding, and the fact you found this is amazing. It seems that there are more Holocaust related themes to the novel that we do not pick up on. Maybe this is on purpose? I have a feeling the ending of this book will encourage you to start again from the beginning with new information, much like the idea of Henry's flipbook, as he mentions on page 8 that one might want to read the fiction after reading the nonfiction and vice versa.
First Comment:
After reading Beatrice & Virgil over the past couple of weeks, I have made many observations about the novel. One that stuck out the most to me was the similarities between the author of the book, Yann Martel, and the main character, Henry. You can tell by just reading some of the first pages of how similar they are. After thinking about it, maybe Yann and Henry are the same person. If so, it is interesting to read more about his struggles and all he has gone through as an author. I feel as though I am getting to know more about Yann as well as Henry as the story develops. Another observation that isn't very big but I thought was interesting was the tigers that were in the shop. There was a mother and a cub, but no male tiger and that makes me wonder if that was Richard Parker and somehow a tie to Life of Pi. Something that I have a question about is the taxidermist, Henry. I find it kind of weird that they both have the same name and their stories are very similar. Also, the taxidermist is very rude to Henry and I don't know why the taxidermist wants his help if he is acting that way.
Second Comment:
Jenna, I liked how you made the observation of the book itself and how it is different compared to his others, it is something I did not even think about. Also, I agree that he does a great job with the description in his novel. The fact that he could describe a pear for about seven pages is quite impressive. Your questions were very similar to mine, I too wondered if there was possibly a deeper meaning on why the taxidermist wants Henry’s help, along with why they share a name. Hopefully we will soon get our questions answered as we dive further into the novel.
Grace, you came up with some very intriguing questions. Your last question about the dog’s reaction in the store was in the back of my mind but I did not think to look further into it. I feel it adds to the gloomy, mysterious persona the taxidermist puts on and Henry quickly notices as well. However, this observation along with others has left many questions in my mind and I hope we will soon find the deeper meaning behind the plot right now. I also agree that it was quite fascinating to read about the taxidermist’s shop and it allows us to feel we are in the store as well. Martel truly does have a way with his words.
First Comment:
After reading the first section of Beatrice and Virgil, I have noticed many things about the book. I have come up with a few observations and a few questions. Something I like about this book is Yan's approach to introducing the story. I will be honest, it does start off quite slow, but that does not matter when you dive deeper into the story. He does not directly introduce most of the characters and leaves it up to the reader to make inferences about them. Another thing I noticed about the story was that it was very similar to Life of Pi. Yan places himself in both of the novels and has sections where you take a break from the story and Yan explains his thoughts during this part of the story. One question I had involved the pear and banana. What is the significance of those two fruits? Why not pick another two fruit? My final question is why are they both named Henry? This confused me.
Second Comment:
Ella Simonson-
I totally agree with how much detail Yan Martel used in the novel. One of my favorite descriptions so far has been of the taxidermy shop. I feel as though I am in the space and can envision everything around me because of all the descriptions he used. I also agree that it wasn't too much and I didn't get bored with it.
Brooke Goeden-
After reading your response, I would have to agree that Sarah is not really supportive and she could become a questionable character. You have brought up valid points about her that I would also have to agree with. Also, your observation is also one of my favorite parts about the book so far and I feel as if I am in the room with the quote you chose to include.
First comment:
I really enjoy reading Beatrice and Virgil. I think Yann Martel describes the life of an author really well. When I was reading the beginning of the book when Henry sits down with his editors and they give their compliments with hints of criticism. Yann Martel compares them to a "firing squad" (12). Their confusion about what his flipbook is about is kind of how I felt when first reading the book. I was curious about the long description of his flipbook and pears. It feels like Beatrice and Virgil was written about this one circumstance Henry felt with his editors. I also noticed that there are Tigers in the taxidermist's shop and there are a mother and a baby. I am curious if this has something to do with Richard Parker. Both Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil have significant animals in their story that have deeper meanings.
I am many inquires about this book. For instance, are we going to learn more about the taxidermist? I also want to know why they have the same name? Is this perhaps a reference to the Jekyll and Hyde part where he explains how one person can have two personalities? I am still curious if Julian, the hunter, represents Nazis in the Holocaust with his slaughtering of animals.I hope my questions are answered in the end!
1st Comment
Something I noticed near the end of the section was Henry's very interesting view of the Holocaust. I really enjoyed the last page when Henry is remarking: "It wasn't that he saw the Golocause in everything. It's that he saw everything in the Holocaust..." (116) His almost obsession-like knowledge of the Holocaust seems quite unique, as most people only view the Holocaust by observing the victims plight. I think that his viewpoint has allowed him to see past just the suffering of the victims and really understand that the "culling" that was the Holocaust was unyielding. He sees that the camp victims were everything but just victims. "Also capitalists and many others, perhaps even clowns."
Something else that I observed was the lesson to be taught by the story that the taxidermist sends him. I found it intriguing that this man who was foretold to be this great person, a vaunted leader or a saint, shirked both and became what I thought to be almost a psychopath. The redeeming of his soul through his good deeds shows two valuable lessons. The first lesson is the normal Christian one, where anyone's soul can be redeemed by following the lord. The second lesson is that your fate is the endpoint, not the journey. Julian has a long and convoluted path in his life that takes him so far away from the amazing heroic future that he is supported to have that he seems like he could never return. The act of killing his parents, however terrible and act it was, turned the tide of his life and leads him to sainthood. It really reminded me that the path of someone's life not only shows nothing about where their future will lead them, but also that in the end, you will end up exactly where you are supposed to be.
First:
While reading the novel "Beatrice and Virgil", I have found many parts in the book interesting. One part of the book that I thought meant a lot was on page 70. On this page, Henry is talking to the taxidermist and he describes him as "serious and sober as a microscope". Henry then explained how he thinks this is the taxidermist public face. He also is confused as to how this man could have written the play he is helping him come up with. Henry thinks that "all his lightness has gone into writing, leaving him drained of it in person". I think this just shows that people have many different personalities and they put their heart and soul into certain things but not in everything they do and that even though someone may not come off creative or nice or whatever it is, doesn't mean that they aren't like that on the inside.
One question I have after reading to page 116, was why did Martel give the taxidermist the name Henry as well? There is obviously a deeper meaning to is just being a coincidence. Another question that I have is why won't Martel give any more specifics about the taxidermist? We hardly know anything about him and why he decided to write the play.
First Comment:
After reading 116 pages of the wonderful Beatrice and Virgil, I have been able to make many observations. The main observation I have made is the similarities between this book and Life of Pi. Yann Martel has once again emerged himself in the book. In Life of Pi, we saw him enter the story as an author, giving us background info and adding authors notes. This really helped us understand the story better. In Beatrice and Virgil, Yann Martel emerges as a character. He enters as the main character Henry. Henry is also a very successful author. The similarities between the two are clear. Another observation I have made is how much imagery and description Martel uses. On page 50, he says, “A ripe pear overflows with sweet juiciness.” Martel is able to paint a vivid picture of a pear in the reader's head.
One thing that confuses me is why Martel chose to give two very important characters the name Henry. It seems odd that an author would do this, so there must be some deeper meaning to it.
Second Comment:
Luke Higgins -
I never thought about the atmosphere in the book. Now that you mentioned it I agree that it does have a switch when Henry meets the taxidermist. The mood starts out pretty light and about a regular guy struggling with his job and then the Taxidermist is mentioned and the mood turns more serious. The pear quote you brought up was actually my favorite part of the description of the pear. The taxidermist went through something really emotional and I hope we get to fully learn what it was. I assume he is the major part of the holocaust theme.
Taylor Cline-
I also realized that the reference of Henry's book doing really well was a major similarity. Yann Martel and Henry are both Canadian authors who have worked odd jobs. Henry worked at a Café (25) and Yann Martel worked at a restaurant cleaning dishes. I also agree that Yann Martel is great at describing things. Especially when Henry tries to play the clarinet and Martel describes it as an ox plowing through a field. I appreciated how Martel describes the animals. He gives them so much detail it made me a little bit uncomfortable since I remembered he was describing animals that use to be alive. Do the animals represent the Jews of the Holocaust in this sense?
Second:
Emily Wendt-
When you say after reading the part about the two talking about a pear that it made you want one, I also wanted one after reading that part in the book. Martel does such a great job of choosing words that will really make you feel or see what he is trying to get across to the reader. I also wonder why Martel doesn't put in what city Henry and Sarah move to but he said it is a world of itself self so that must mean it is a huge city?
Gavin Terhark:
I also have the question of why the taxidermist has chosen that profession. The taxidermist at one point, page 70 I think, said that no one wants animals like this anymore and that they want exotic animals instead. WIth him being a writer on top of his taxidermy work, I wonder why he hasn't put more time into his writing than taxidermy. You also asked what I appealing to him about taxidermy and I also wonder this as well.
FIRST COMMENT:
After reading up to page 116 of Beatrice and Virgil, I have stumbled upon a few questions and intriguing points about the novel so far. First of all, I have noticed that Yann Martel likes to insert himself into his books. I think it is his way of connecting the readers with his work. He is obviously the inspiration for Henry, the successful author, in the book. I also noticed that Martel uses similar themes in his books. In Life of Pi, the book is obviously filled with animals and lessons about them. This book has animals too, although none of them are directly in the story since they are featured in the play that the taxidermist is writing. I also noticed that there is no specific setting of this book, while there were specific settings in Life of Pi. That would be my question. Why does Martel not give this book a specific setting? Is the location important to the plot? Does it come up in the end? Or is it not important at all?
Second Comment:
Thomas Scholten: I really liked your first question. The part where he talks about the taxidermist from pages 91-98 might help answer your question. He is sad that the lives of these animals are lost, but he sees to it that their lives are "preserved". The animals are no longer alive physically but are being kept alive in some other form.
Brett VanOort: Your question regarding Henry wanting to work with the taxidermist greatly intrigues me. I believe that Henry would have to be very curious about his work and his shop, along with the play he is writing. The taxidermist does come off as very mean and weird, however; I think that there is a deeper meaning behind his work and who he is.
Second Comment:
Dayne Peyton: I agree with your observation that Martel has emerged himself in the story. I also picked up on that early on because of the similarities between him and Henry. They are both authors with books that failed and books that succeeded. As for your question, I don’t think I have an answer. I like your thinking and believe that could be very possible. Page 21 gives us many possibilities, but we are never given a clear destination for Henry.
Cade Tripp: While reading Beatrice and Virgil, I also noticed that Martel emerged himself in the novel once again. The clear similarities between Martel and Henry makes this observation pretty obvious. I like your question and I think that the answer will be revealed as we continue to read.
Second Comment
Quinn- I think that your view of Henry being a self-insert of Yann Martel smart. When you said that his feeling of having writers block and heaving readers not understand what he is writing about are very true and that's exactly what Henry is feeling in Beatrice and Virgil. Henry does, indeed, deal with these problems in many of the same ways that authors in the real world might.
Eli- When you said that Yann Martel's style of writing in this book is vague but also detailed I completely agreed with that. In Life of Pi it seemed that Yann Martel went way deeper into his descriptions and how he was portraying the story. Maybe the reason critics don't like Beatrice and Virgil so much is because they don't admire or accept the way Martel is writing in this book.
SECOND COMMENT
Megan Pickering: I had some similar questions that you did while I was reading as well. You asked why Yann Martel named Henry's dog Erasmus since it is quite a strange name. I did some research and found that Desiderius Erasmus is a Christian Scholar and Dutch philosopher who is known as one of the greatest scholars of the northern Renaissance. Henry's cat in the novel is named Mendelssohn, referring to Felix Mendelssohn (a German composer who was popular in the early Romantic period). These names are a nod to famous artists and scholars of the past. I think Martel strategically names his characters in his books.
Braden Dybdahl: I find it interesting that we both asked why Martel does not name the location in which the book is set/where Henry moves to when he relocates. If I had any guesses, it would be that Martel does not name the locations because they are important to the ending of the book. I have a feeling this book, like Life of Pi, will have some type of twist ending. There are many parts where Martel does not go into detail about things, leaving room for guessing or assuming. I find that to be a common theme with books by Yann Martel.
post 2
Ethan Wright - I agree that the description of a pear was somehow still enthralling after multiple pages. I don't know how he did it but I thought it was amazing. I agree that Martel has an amazing way of describing things that really enhances the read and draws the reader into the story. I saw this in Life of Pi when Martel spent an enormous chunk of the book describing the zoo. Somehow it was still absolutely fascinating to me after about 50 pages. Martel does an amazing job creating a unique summary of a book while also analyzing it at the same time. Truly breathtaking.
Victoria Rise - I completely agree that among everything else, Yann Martel does an amazing job creating the world that is being an author. I do think that Henry's comparison of the editors meeting to a firing squad on page 12 was also another reference to the Holocaust. Firing squads were a very common thing in the concentration camps and I think this reference just strengthens his view of seeing "everything in the Holocaust"
First Comment
One observation I see after reading through page 116 of Beatrice and Virgil is that the taxidermist is super shady and I think later in the book something will be brought to light about his past that will shock us as readers. Just by the way it is so descriptive about some of the items in the book like the pear just makes you wonder why. It definitely stuck out to me as I read it. One question that I had was why did the taxidermist reach out to Henry out of the blue like he did? It doesn't make sense why he chose Henry. Does his prompt have something to do with the Holocaust or was he himself involved in the Holocaust?
Second comment
Response to Grace Hansen: I also see how Yann puts himself into his book. I like how he does it too, it creates another element ti reading it that you don't get to see other authors typically do.
Response to Jimmy Hoffman: I agree that his obsession with the Holocaust definitely triggers a couple thoughts and maybe even warnings about this guy. He makes the reader think/wonder why he would be fascinated with such a thing.
Second comment:
Jessica Krogman- I completely agree that the Taxidermist's play is alluding to the Holocaust. I don't understand why the setting of the play is on a shirt (honestly I have absolutely no clue on that one) but if it is striped it may be referencing the uniforms of prisoners in the concentration camps. Throughout this first section, Henry almost reveals what he thinks the Taxidermist is referencing, but he always seems to get interrupted. I think this was very intentional of Martel in order to keep the reader thinking. Your question on why they both have the same first name really has me thinking, it is also weird that the Taxidermist's play mirrors Henry's failed novel but I'm sure we will learn why later on in the novel. :)
Avery Timmons- I never even thought about Yann Martel reflecting himself through Henry, I totally miss stuff like that. But I think it's super interesting and honestly makes me question what I thought I knew about Martel. In the next few sections, I'll definitely have to pay closer attention to that. Also, I thought the same thing about the tigers in the Taxidermist's shop. I think there will be more links to Life of Pi coming up which is pretty neat. I had the same question about why the Taxidermist is so rude to Henry. I understand some people are kind of quiet, but he's honestly just rude.
Response to Brook Goeden: Your love for how intricately this book is detailed has made me reread certain sections of the novel to better envision the setting. The details regarding the taxidermist's shop especially, create a clear image in your mind.
Response to Daisy Vis: I also agree with your skepticism with the taxidermist. The way his character shows little to no emotion to Henry makes a bit of a suspicious person. How he has done very little play despite having worked on it most of his life leaves me to believe there is something else preventing him from finishing it.
First question:
While reading Beatrice and Virgil I could not get interested in it at first but I enjoyed it once I kept reading. The pattern that I saw was that Yann Martel likes to include himself in his books in an interesting way. I also noticed how much imagery he likes to use throughout his books. I enjoy his imagery because it makes it easier for me to picture the setting and what exactly is going on. He also used a lot of imagery on the Life of Pi.
The one question I have is why are there not chapters in the book?
My second question is why does Yann Martel like to include himself in his books?
Second question:
Madi Albertson:
I also noticed how Yann Martel has a way of including himself in his books. Not only did he include himself in Beatrice and Virgil but in Life of Pi as well. I think there are major connections between the two books and how he implements animals in both.
Mike Chev:
I also found it weird that Henry doesn't tell us the final destination or location when he talks about a move to a nice city. I feel like in the end, everything will wrap up together life it did in the Life of Pi. I find the way Yann Martel leaves us questioning about some stuff in this book to be the same as Life of Pi. Sometimes we have to just use our own imagination for the answer.
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